IB  RAR.Y 
OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF    ILLINOIS 


AGRICULTURE 


NON  CIRCULATING 

CHECK  FOR  UNBOUND 
CIRCULATING  COPY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


BULLETIN  No.  312 


MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES 


BY  J.  W.  LLOYD  AND  H.  M.  NEWELL 


URBANA,  ILLINOIS,  JUNE,  1928 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

STATISTICS  OF  APPLE  PRODUCTION 563 

GRADING  AND  PACKING  PRACTICES 564 

Growers  Usually  Do  Their  Own  Packing 566 

Care  in  Fruit  Handling  Varies  With  Crews 567 

Standardized  Grading  Not  General 568 

PACKAGES  USED 571 

Baskets  Tending  to  Replace  Barrels 571 

Apple  Box  Favored  by  Some  Growers 572 

TRANSPORTATION  IN  COUNTY 573 

Wagons  or  Trucks  Haul  Apples  to  River  Landings 573 

RIVER  TRANSPORTATION  HAS  CARRIED  BULK  OF  CROP 574 

Steamboat  Lines  Handle  Shipments  on  Illinois  and  Mississippi  Rivers  575 

Boats  Make  Trip  to  St.  Louis  Within  Twenty-Four  Hours 576 

Warehouses  at  Boat  Landings  Inadequate 577 

Delays  in  Shipping  Impair  Keeping  Quality  of  Fruit 579 

Rolling  of  Barreled  Apples  Adds  to  Damage 583 

River  Rates  Uniform  on  Barrel  Shipments  to  St.  Louis 584 

FACILITIES  FOR  RAIL  TRANSPORTATION  RECENTLY  IMPROVED  584 

Most  Important  Loading  Point  on  C.  &  A.  at  East  Hardin 584 

Apples  May  Be  Loaded  Directly  Into  Cars  at  East  Hardin 585 

Loading  Points  Available  on  C.  B.  &  Q.  in  Missouri 587 

Apples  Ferried  Across  River  Loaded  at  Graf  ton 588 

Freight  Rates  to  Various  Markets 589 

Boat  Shipments  Faster  Than  Rail  From  East  Hardin  to  St.  Louis 589 

Possibility  of  a  Railroad  in  Calhoun  County 590 

MOTOR  TRUCKS  HAUL  MANY  APPLES  TO  MARKET 591 

STORAGE  FACILITIES  ACCESSIBLE 593 

METHODS  OF  SALE 595 

Pre-Harvest  Contracts 595 

Consignments  to  Commission  Merchants 596 

The  Levee  Sale  at  St.  Louis 597 

Brokerage  Sales  a  Factor  in  1927 598 

Merits  of  Different  Methods 599 

STORING  FOR  LATER  SALE 599 

Study  of  Apple  Prices 601 

Margins  Between  Harvest  and  Storage  Sales 602 

RECOMMENDATIONS W~> 

OFFICIAL  STANDARDS  FOR  THE  INSPECTION  OF  APPLES 611 


MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES 

By  J.  W.  LLOYD,  Chief  in  Olericulture,  and  H.  M.  NEWELL, 
Assistant  in  Fruit  and  Vegetable  Marketing 

Calhoun  county  produces  approximately  one-third  of  the  com- 
mercial apple  crop  of  the  entire  state  of  Illinois.  Without  a  railroad 
or  a  cold-storage  plant  within  the  county's  borders,  with  scarcely  a 
packing  shed  and  no  marketing  organizations,  this  immense  apple 
crop,  averaging  nearly  400,000  barrels  a  year,  has  found  its  way  into 
the  channels  of  trade  and  into  the  consuming  markets. 

The  methods  employed  in  the  grading,  packing,  transporting,  and 
selling  of  Calhoun  county  apples  have  been  made  an  object  of  special 
study  with  a  view  to  learning  the  exact  conditions  existing  in  the 
county  and  offering  suggestions  that  may  be  helpful  in  the  handling 
of  future  crops. 

STATISTICS  OF  APPLE  PRODUCTION 

\ 

In  the  35-year  period  from  1889  to  1924  Calhoun  county  devel- 
oped much  more  rapidly  than  the  rest  of  the  state  in  reference  to 
apple  orchards  and  apple  production  (Table  1).  The  number  of  apple 
trees  of  bearing  age  in  Illinois,  was  considerably  less  in  1924  than  in 
1889,  while  the  number  in  Calhoun  county  had  been  multiplied  by 
three.  During  the  same  period  the  production  in  Calhoun  county 
increased  from  1.2  percent  of  the  total  production  of  the  state 
to  more  than  14  percent.  These  figures  refer  to  "total  produc- 
tion," and  not  to  "commercial  production."  They  include  apples  of 
all  varieties  and  grades  produced  in  farm  orchards  as  well  as  in  com- 
mercial orchards.  Statistics  of  commercial  production  in  Illinois  are 
available  for  1916  and  subsequent  years,  but  separate  statistics  for 
commercial  production  in  Calhoun  county  are  available  only  for  1922 
and  subsequent  years.  During  the  past  six  years  Calhoun  county 
produced  from  28.7  to  38.3  percent  of  the  total  commercial  apple  crop 
of  the  state,  or  an  average  of  nearly  33  percent  (Table  2)  even  tho 
the  county  contained  only  9.7  percent  of  the  trees  of  bearing  age  in 
1924.  Furthermore,  in  1924  only  52  percent  of  the  apple  trees  in  the 
county  were  of  bearing  age,  while  in  the  state  as  a  whole  61  percent 
were  of  bearing  age.  As  the  younger  orchards  come  into  bearing  Cal- 
houn county  is  likely  to  produce  a  still  larger  percentage  of  the  com- 
mercial crop  of  the  state. 

The  orchards  in  Calhoun  county  consist  principally  of.  standard 
commercial  varieties,  and  the  younger  plantings  are  mainly  of  espe- 
cially desirable  sorts,  such  as  Jonathan,  Winesap,  Willow  Twig,  and 

563 

\ 


564 


BULLETIN  No.  312 


[June, 


TABLE  1. — APPLE  TREES' OF  BEARING  AGE  AND  TOTAL  PRODUCTION  OF  APPLES  IN 
ILLINOIS  AND  IN  CALHOUN  COUNTY  FOR  CENSUS  YEARS  1889-19241 


Year 

Illinois 

Calhoun  county 

Percentage  in 
Calhoun  county 

Number  of  apple  trees 


1889... 

6  949  336 

126  953 

1.8 

1899  

13  430  006 

336  734 

2.5 

1909  

9  900  627 

348  888 

3.5 

1919  

5  113  063 

294  920 

5.7 

1924.  .  . 

4  129  330 

403  618 

9.7 

Total  production 


1889..  . 

bu. 
9  600  785 

bu. 
119  109 

1  2 

1899  

9  178  150 

319  010 

3.4 

1909  

3  093  321 

173  630 

5.6 

1919  

4  673  117 

891  317 

19.0 

1924.  .  . 

5  529  149 

815  278 

14.7 

]Data  from  Census  reports. 

Delicious.  This  is  an  additional  factor  that  will  tend  to  increase  the 
relative  importance  of  the  county  in  reference  to  commercial  apple 
production. 

TABLE  2. — COMMERCIAL  APPLE  PRODUCTION  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  IN  CALHOUN  COUNTY, 

1922-1927  INCLUSIVE 


Year 

Illinois 

Calhoun  county 

Percentage  in 
Calhoun  county 

1922... 

bbls. 
1  450  OOO1 

bbls. 
416  0012 

28.7 

1923  

1  400  OOO1 

536  087  2 

38.3 

1924  

1   100  OOO1 

343  6992 

31  2 

1925  

1  215  OOO1 

451  3892 

37  1 

1926  

1  290  OOO1 

400  6362 

31.0 

1927  

804  OOO1 

240  1423 

29  8 

Six-year  average  .  .  . 

1  209  833 

397  992 

32.9 

^rom  government  statistics.  2From  data  collected  each  year  by  H.  J.  Sellmeyer,  St.  Louis, 
Missouri.  3From  data  collected  at  shipping  points  by  the  junior  author  in  company  with  a  represent- 
ative of  the  Illinois  State  Department  of  Agriculture. 


GRADING  AND  PACKING  PRACTICES 

Practically  all  the  apples  grown  in  Calhoun  county  are  graded 
and  packed  in  the  orchard.1  Portable  grading  tables  with  canvas 
bottoms  are  used.  About  the  only  other  equipment  employed  in  the 
packing  of  barrels  consists  of  a  few  half-bushel  baskets  for  sorting 
receptacles,  a  portable  barrel  press,  and  a  hatchet.  Sometimes  a  few 
boards  are  provided  on  which  the  barrels  are  placed  while  being 
packed. 

The  pickers  empty  the  fruit  directly  from  the  picking  sacks  on  to 
the  sorting  table.  The  apples  are  sorted  by  hand  and  placed  in  half- 

growers  in  the  county  used  packing  sheds  in  1927. 


1928] 


MARKETING  CALHOUX  COUNTY  APPLES 


565 


bushel  baskets  according  to  grade.  When  filled,  these  baskets  are 
lowered  into  the  barrels  and  emptied.  In  most  cases  each  sorter  has 
a  basket  for  "facers."  The  facing  is  usually  done  by  a  person  who 


FIG.  1. — PACKING  APPLES  IN*  ORCHARD,  CALHOUX  COUXTY 
In  this  important  apple-producing  area  it  is  the  common  practice  to  pack 
apples  in  the  orchard  rather  than  in  a  shed.    Packages,  fruit,  and  packers  are 
exposed  to  the  weather,  and  the  product  naturally  suffers. 


FIG.  2. — PACKING  APPLES  NEAR  SHED  OF  C.  L.  TUREMAN,  HARDIX 
A  few  growers  have  built  sheds  where  they  pack  apples  in  bad  weather,  tho 
when  the  weather  is  favorable  they  sometimes  work  just  outside  the  shed. 


makes  a  specialty  of  facing,  or  facing  and  "tailing."  In  a  large  crew 
there  is  likely  to  be  a  separate  person  for  each  step  in  the  packing 
process,  including  facing,  packing,  tailing,  and  heading.  A  full-sized 


566 


BULLETIN  No.  312 


[June, 


harvesting  crew  consists  of  four  pickers,  three  or  four  sorters,  one 
facer,  one  tailer,  one  packer,  and  one  header.  Such  a  crew  can  pack 
about  100  barrels  a  day.  Smaller  crews  are  often  used  consisting  of 
only  two  or  three  pickers,  two  sorters,  and  two  men  to  do  the  facing, 
packing,  tailing,  and  heading,  making  a  total  of  six  or  seven  instead 
of  eleven  or  twelve. 

In  basket  packing  the  same  general  method  of  handling  the  apples 
is  employed.  The  same  type  of  sorting  table  is  used  and  the  apples 
are  commonly  sorted  into  half-bushel  baskets  and  later  poured  into 
the  bushel  baskets  or  packing  forms,  tho  sometimes  they  are  sorted 
directly  into  the  bushel  baskets  or  forms. 

Growers  Usually  Do  Their  Own  Packing 

Most  of  the  packing  is  done  by  crews  working  under  the  direct 
supervision  of  the  grower.  In  some  cases  when  the  crop  has  been  sold 
before  harvest,  the  crews  are  under  the  supervision  of  the  buyer  or 


FIG.  3. — HAULING  EMPTY  BARRELS  TO  THE  ORCHARD 

A  load  of  barrels  just  starting  from  Hardin,  where  they  were  coopered.  By 
the  use  of  large  racks  100  barrels  can  be  included  in  a  load. 


one  of  his  foremen.  Occasionally  a  grower  contracts  with  some  person 
to  do  the  grading  and  packing  at  a  definite  rate  per  barrel.  However, 
by  far  the  largest  part  of  the  Calhoun  county  crop  is  packed  by  the 
growers  themselves  even  tho  they  may  be  under  contract  to  do  this 
work  for  the  buyers.  The  cost  of  harvesting  and  packing  apples  in 
Calhoun  county  orchards  (including  the  cost  of  the  package),  based 
on  data  furnished  by  nine  different  growers,  varied  from  $1.137  to 
$1.303  a  barrel  and  from  32.2  to  36.0  cents  a  bushel  basket  (Table  3). 
The  reports  made  were  in  reference  to  the  1926  crop.  Variations  in 
the  costs  as  reported  by  different  growers  were  due  mainly  to  the  fact 


1928] 


MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES 


567 


TABLE  3. — APPLE  PICKING  AND  PACKING  COSTS  AS  REPORTED  BY  NINE  CALHOUN 
COUNTY  GROWERS  FOR  1926  CROP 


Grower  No. 

Picking 

Grading  and 
packing 

Container  and 
caps 

Total 

Barrel  packing 


1  

$.250 

$.315 

$.727 

$1.292 

2  

.250 

.287 

.727 

1.264 

3   .    . 

.228 

348 

.727 

1.303 

4  

.177 

.233 

.727 

1.137 

5 

213 

307 

.727 

1.247 

6  

.250 

.310 

.727 

1.287 

7  

.250 

.287 

.727 

1.264 

8   . 

200 

.290 

.727 

1.217 

Average  

.227 

.297 

.727 

1.251 

Basket  packing 


1  

.080 

116 

.160 

.356 

2  

.080 

.105 

.160 

.345 

3  . 

080 

120 

.160 

.360 

4  

070 

092 

.160 

.322 

5  

.076 

.109 

.160 

.345 

6  . 

070 

127 

.160 

.357 

Average  

.076 

.111 

.160 

.347 

that  crews  of  the  same  size  did  not  always  pack  the  same  quantity 
of  fruit  in  a  day,  some  crews  being  more  efficiently  organized  than 
others.  Also  there  were  some  differences  in  the  wages  paid  by  dif- 
ferent growers  for  the  same  operations. 

So  far  as  picking  and  packing  costs  are  concerned,  barrel  packing 
is  no  more  expensive  than  basket  packing,  volume  for  volume,  but  the 
price  differential  between  three  baskets  and  one  barrel  is  about  25 
cents  in  favor  of  the  baskets. 

Care  in  Fruit  Handling  Varies  With  Crews 

The  amount  of  care  exercised  thruout  the  process  of  grading  and 
packing  varies  greatly  with  the  different  packing  crews.  In  some 
cases  the  pickers  are  careless  in  dumping  the  fruit  upon  the  sorting 
table,  and  considerable  bruising  results,  tho  the  injury  is  usually  not 
apparent  until  the  package  is  opened  at  the  market.  In  most  cases, 
however,  the  pickers  are  reasonably  careful  in  emptying  the  picking 
sacks.  As  a  rule  the  sorters  are  careful  in  handling  the  fruit  and  it 
is  doubtful  if  an  appreciable  amount  of  bruising  occurs  at  this  point 
in  the  packing  process.  Usually  the  packers  are  careful  in  emptying 
the  baskets,  but  sometimes  the  fruit  is  dumped  into  the  barrel  instead 
of  being  lowered  into  it. 

Sometimes  the  packers  fail  to  get  the  proper  degree  of  tightness 
in  the  pack.  If  the  fruit  is  not  pressed  tightly  enough,  it  becomes 
slack  in  transit  and  is  discounted  on  the  market.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  barrels  are  filled  too  full,  some  of  the  apples  are  mashed 
and  others  bruised  when  the  head  is  forced  into  place.  Failure  prop- 
erly to  rack  or  shake  the  barrels  as  they  are  being  filled  results  in  too 
severe  pressing  or  a  slack  pack,  either  of  which  is  undesirable  and 
lowers  the  value  of  the  fruit. 


568  BULLETIN  No.  312  [June, 

Standardized  Grading  Not  General 

The  packs  of  fruit  coming  from  Calhoun  county  are  exceedingly 
varied.  There  are  no  uniformly  accepted  grade  standards.  Some 
growers  pack  according  to  the  specifications  of  the  Illinois  apple 
grading  and  packing  law,  others  use  the  U.  S.  grade  specifications, 
while  many  seem  to  pack  according  to  their  individual  ideas.  Apple 
dealers  who  come  into  the  county  and  buy  apples  on  contract  fre- 
quently write  their  own  grade  specifications  into  the  contracts.  These 
specifications  are  usually  more  rigid  than  the  provisions  of  the  Illinois 
law  or  the  U.  S.  apple  grades.  The  buyers  keep  in  close  touch  with 
the  packing  of  the  apples  they  have  under  contract  and  usually  such 
fruit  is  well  graded. 

The  marks  on  the  fruit  packages  vary  fully  as  much  as  the  grades 
in  the  packages  and  have  no  uniformity  in  meaning.  The  "orchard 
run"  grade  of  one  grower  may  be  as  good  a  grade  as  the  so-called 
"No.  1"  pack  of  another.  Some  growers  who  pack  without  reference 
to  any  standardized  grades  mark  their  packages  with  Illinois  or  U.  S. 
grade  designations;  others  use  various  grade  designations  of  their  own 
selection  based  upon  convenience  or  personal  preference ;  a  few  fail  to 
place  any  grade  or  descriptive  marks  on  their  packages.1  Thirteen 
representative  lots  of  Calhoun  county  apples  in  cold  storage  in  St.  Louis 
were  examined  in  February,  1926.  In  each  case  an  entire  barrel  of  fruit 
was  sorted  on  the  basis  of  U.  S.  grades  (Table  4) .  Again  in  December, 
1927,  examinations  were  made  of  Calhoun  county  apples  in  storage. 
Fifteen  lots  were  inspected  at  this  time  (Table  5) .  These  apples  had 
been  placed  in  storage  for  winter  and  spring  sale  and  undoubtedly 
represent  better  grading  than  many  of  the  apples  that  are  sold  for 
early  consumption  at  harvest  time. 

If  the  twenty-eight  lots  of  apples  representing  the  packs  of 
1925  and  1927  examined  in  storage  are  considered  together,  it  will  be 
seen  that  only  one  of  the  lots  contained  more  than  10  percent  of  culls, 
while  the  average  percentage  of  culls  was  only  3.8.  However,  of  the 
eleven  lots  marked  No.  1,  U.  S.  No.  1,  Illinois  No.  1,  or  "A,"  only  one 
contained  90  percent  or  more  of  apples  that  actually  graded  U.  S. 
No.  1.  The  lots  marked  No.  1  contained  as  an  average  28.2  percent 
of  No.  2  apples,  while  those  that  were  not  so  marked  contained  as  an 
average  56.7  percent  of  No.  1  and  38.4  percent  of  No.  2  fruit. 

These  observations  indicate  that  errors  in  the  grading  of  these 
apples  were  principally  in  failure  to  separate  No.  1  and  No.  2  fruit 

'Both  the  Illinois  law  and  the  U.  S.  grade  specifications  designate  that  each 
package  of  apples  shall  be  so  marked  as  to  give  definite  information  on  four 
items:  (1)  the  name  and  address  of  the  packer,  (2)  the  name  of  the  variety, 
(3)  the  grade  of  the  fruit,  and  (4)  the  minimum  size  or  numerical  count.  Fur- 
thermore it  is  prescribed  that  the  grade  designation  be  worded  exactly  as  in  the 
specifications. 


1928] 


MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES 


569 


TABLE  4. — INSPECTION  OF  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES  IN  STORAGE,  FEBRUARY,  1926 


Actual  grading 

Lot 
No. 

Grade  markings 

U.S. 
No.  1 

U.S. 

No.  2 

Culls 

1 

No.  1,  2^-inch  minimum  

perct. 
76.7 

perct. 
16.6 

perct. 
6.7 

2 

No.  1,  2J^-inch  minimum  

85.9 

13.1 

1.0 

3 

70.0 

24.5 

5.5 

4 

No.  1,  2J^-inch  minimum  

60.1 

30.3 

9.5 

5 

No.  1,  2J3-inch  minimum  

96.5 

3.2 

.3 

6 

No.  1  .  . 

76.9 

20.0 

3.1 

7 

No.  1  

85.4 

13.5 

1.1 

8 

Orchard  run,  2  J^-inch  minimum  

70.9 

24.1 

5.0 

9 

2  ^-inch  minimum  

56.1 

40.9 

3.0 

10 

2^-inch  minimum  

57.7 

33.6 

8.7 

11 

2  J4-inch  minimum  

73.6 

18.7 

7.7 

12 

2)^-inch  minimum  

45.1 

31.9 

23.0 

13 

No  mark  

65.4 

26.5 

8.1 

rather  than  in  the  packing  of  culls.  This  was  undoubtedly  a  carry- 
over from  the  old  practice  of  packing  "orchard  run"  where  only  the 
culls  were  removed.  In  actual  practice  there  is  no  more  difficulty  in 
separating  No.  1  and  No.  2  fruit  than  in  separating  No.  2's  and  culls. 
Sometimes  grade  terms  are  misunderstood  by  the  packer.  An 
example  of  this  is  shown  in  Table  5  (Lot  4).  In  this  case  the  barrel 
was  labeled  "U.  S.  Commercial."  The  specifications  for  U.  S.  Com- 
mercial are  the  same  as  for  U.  S.  No.  1  except  that  there  is  no  color 


TABLE  5. — INSPECTION  OF  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES  IN  STORAGE,  DECEMBER,  1927 


Actual  gradinj 

( 

Lot 
No. 

Grade  markings 

U.S. 
No.  1 

U.  S. 
No.  2 

Culls 

1 

perct. 
73 

perct. 
27 

perct. 

2 

18 

76 

6 

3 

U.  S.  No.  1,  2J^-inch  minimum  

64 

36 

4 

6 

86 

8 

5 

62 

34 

4 

6 

Illinois  Commercial,  2J^-inch  minimum  

48 

50 

2 

7 

Illinois  Commercial  

64 

36 

8 

48 

50 

2 

9 

Orchard  run  

60 

32 

8 

10 

18 

79 

3 

11 

2  J4-inch  minimum  

72 

28 

12 

No  mark  

82 

16 

2 

13 

64 

36 

14 

No  mark  

42 

56 

2 

15 

No  mark  

92 

8 

requirement  for  the  U.  S.  Commercial  grade.  This  barrel  graded  only 
6  percent  U.  S.  No.  1  and  86  percent  U.  S.  No.  2.  It  would  have  been 
correctly  marked  if  labeled  either  U.  S.  No.  2  or  Illinois  Commercial. 
The  U.  S.  Commercial  and  Illinois  Commercial  are  entirely  different 
grades.  In  order  to  mark  packages  properly  the  grade  designations 
must  be  well  understood. 


570 


BULLETIN  No.  312 


[June, 


Thru  the  courtesy  of  the  State  Department  of  Agriculture  data 
were  secured  regarding  the  grading  of  87  carloads  of  apples  shipped 
from  Calhoun  county  in  the  fall  of  1927,  as  shown  by  inspection  at 
shipping  point  (Table  6).  These  87  cars  of  apples  included  247  lots 
on  which  separate  inspections  were  reported.  Ten  different  designa- 
tions had  been  used  by  the  various  packers  to  indicate  the  grade  or 
pack,  and  four  lots  were  left  without  any  grade  designation  whatever. 

TABLE  6. — CLASSIFICATION  OF  87  CARLOADS  (247  LOTS)  OF  CALHOUN  COUNTY 
APPLES  INSPECTED  AT  SHIPPING  POINTS,  1927 


Actual  grade 

packages 

U.  S. 
Fancy 

U.  S. 

No.  I 

U.S. 
Commercial 

U.S. 
No.  2 

U.  S. 
Unclassified 

Total 

U.  S.  Fancy  

2 
22 

'i 

2 
23 

U.S.  No.  1  
No.  1  

41 
34 

3 
3 

1 
5 

45 
42 

U.S.  No.  2  
No.  2  

ii 

i 

12 

2J^  inch  
2%  inch  
XX          

4 
2 

i 

4 
26 

7 
39 
28 

15 
68 
28 

Commercial.  .  .  . 
Orchard  run.  .  . 
No  mark  
Total  

24 

'2 

84 

io 

1 
2 
1 
45 

2 
3 
1 

87 

3 
5 

4 
247 

Of  the  25  lots  marked  U.  S.  Fancy,  or  Fancy,  all  except  one  actually 
graded  U.  S.  Fancy.  Of  the  87  lots  marked^U.  S.  No.  1,  or  No.  1,  75 
graded  U.  S.  No.  1  and  6  graded  U.  S.  Commercial.  Twelve  lots  were 
marked  No.  2;  all  except  one  of  these  graded  U.  S.  No.  2.  The  re- 
maining 123  lots,  or  virtually  half  the  total  number,  were  not  marked 
according  to  any  official  grade  designation.  In  the  case  of  83  lots 
merely  the  size  was  marked;  30  of  these  graded  U.  S.  No.  2  and  46 
fell  in  the  U.  S.  Unclassified  group,  which  means  that  they  contained 
too  many  culls  to  grade  No.  2.  The  28  lots  marked  "XX"  were  all 
below  the  No.  2  grade. 

These  inspection  reports  indicate  that  in  the  87  cars  of  apples 
under  consideration  wherever  a  recognized  standard  grade  designation 
was  marked  on  the  package,  a  sincere  attempt  usually  had  been  made 
to  grade  the  fruit  according  to  the  specifications  for  that  grade.  How- 
ever, half  the  lots  in  these  cars  were  marked  in  ways  other  than  with 
official  grade  designations  and  in  many  instances  were  of  such  low 
grade  that  they  could  be  officially  designated  only  as  Unclassified. 

Observations  made  in  the  orchards  during  the  harvesting  seasons 
of  1926  and  1927  and  on  the  levee  at  St.  Louis  corroborate  the  evi- 
dence already  given  that  there  is  wide  variation  in  the  quality  and 
grade  of  Calhoun  county  apples  offered  on  the  market.  The  general 
average  of  the  grade  of  the  fruit  sent  to  St.  Louis  is  considerably  be- 
low that  of  fruit  from  other  important  apple-producing  regions. 
St.  Louis  apple  dealers  hold  the  opinion  that  grading  in  Calhoun 


1928]  MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY.  APPLES  571 

county  is  poorer  than  in  most  apple  sections.  On  the  other  hand,  a 
number  of  Chicago  dealers  do  not  thus  discriminate  against  Calhoun 
county  fruit.  The  reason  for  the  difference  in  opinion  is  quite  ap- 
parent. Most  of  Chicago's  receipts  from  this  section  are  apples  bought 
and  packed  by  Chicago  marketing  concerns  or  consigned  by  a  few  of 
the  larger  growers.  The  fruit  reaching  Chicago  is  undoubtedly  better 
than  the  average  from  the  county,  while  that  reaching  St.  Louis,  the 
market  more  accessible  to  inexperienced  packers,  is  probably  some- 
what below  the  average. 

Calhoun  county  has  not  kept  pace  with  most  of  the  important 
apple-producing  regions  of  the  country  with  reference  to  improved 
standards  of  grading  and  packing.  The  lack  of  standardization  as  to 
grade  is  one  of  the  greatest  handicaps  under  which  fruit  from  Calhoun 
county  is  marketed. 

PACKAGES  USED 

The  apple  barrel  has  long  been  recognized  as  the  standard  pack- 
age for  fall  and  winter  varieties  of  apples  shipped  from  Calhoun 
county,  even  tho  summer  varieties  and  early  pickings  of  fall  varieties 
not  intended  for  storage  have  been  shipped  in  bushel  baskets.  How- 
ever, larger  use  has  been  made  of  the  bushel  basket  from  year  to  year 
until  in  1927  over  55  percent  of  the  total  crop  was  shipped  in  bushel 
baskets.  Much  of  the  basket  fruit  was  shipped  by  rail  from  East 
Hardin,  but  data  collected  at  the  boat  landings  show  that  44  percent 
of  the  fruit  shipped  by  boat  was  in  baskets. 

Baskets  Tending  to  Replace  Barrels 

The  barrel  is  a  much  stronger  package  than  the  basket  and  better 
adapted  to  rough  handling  and  to  storage.  However,  the  necessity  of 
rolling  the  barrels  about  on  the  river  bank,  on  the  boats,  and  on  the 
levee  in  St.  Louis  results  in  considerable  bruising  of  the  fruit.  There 
is  more  or  less  "give"  to  the  bulge  of  the  barrel,  and  the  fruits  next 
to  the  staves  at  the  middle  of  the  package  are  often  bruised  during  the 
process  of  loading  and  unloading,  tho  these  bruises  may  not  be  appar- 
ent until  later  in  the  season  when  the  apples  are  taken  from  storage. 
The  fact  that  bushel  baskets  cannot  conveniently  be  rolled  but  can 
be  carried  without  much  difficulty  results  in  much  more  careful 
handling  of  this  type  of  package  and  therefore  less  bruising  of  the 
fruit  even  tho  the  package  is  less  rigid.  The  introduction  of  the  "tub" 
type  of  bushel  basket  is  likely  to  overcome  some  of  the  objections 
against  the  bushel  as  a  shipping  and  storage  package.1 

'There  is  some  variation  in  the  storage  rates  quoted  by  different  companies, 
but  several  companies  in  St.  Louis  quoted  the  following  rates  on  apples  in  the 
fall  of  1927  for  the  season  up  to  April  1 :  barrels,  70  cents ;  bushel  boxes,  25  cents  ; 
bushel  baskets,  40  cents.  Two  firms  quoted  30  cents  on  tub  bushels  and  40  cents 
on  bushel  baskets. 


572 


BULLETIN  No.  312 


[June, 


FIG.  4. — BASKETS  OF  APPLES  BEING  STACKED  ON  LEVEE  AT  ST.  Louis 
The  baskets  are  carried  on  the  shoulder  as  they  are  unloaded  from  the  boat. 
Thus  the  fruit  is  not  bruised  as  when  rolled  in  a  barrel. 


The  lower  price  of  baskets  as  compared  with  barrels  (Table  3) 
has  doubtless  been  one  of  the  factors  responsible  for  the  recent  trend 
among  Calhoun  county  growers  to  replace  the  barrel  with  the  basket 
as  a  package  for  winter  apples  as  well  as  summer  varieties. 

Apple  Box  Favored  by  Some  Growers 

There  is  a  growing  sentiment  in  Calhoun  county  in  favor  of  the 
western  apple  box  as  a  package  for  high-grade  fruit  produced  in  this 
section.  Two  growers  are  already  packing  their  fruit  in  boxes  .and 


FIG.  5. — BOXES  OF  APPLES  FROM  HAMBURG  ON  UPPER  DECK  OF  THE  Alabama 

A  small  quantity  of  Calhoun  county  apples  are  packed  in  the  standard  west- 
ern apple  box.  This  container  has  much  to  recommend  it.  It  is  convenient  and 
economical  in  shipment  and  storage  and  protects  the  contents  especially  well. 


1928]  MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES  573 

others  contemplate  doing  so  in  the  near  future.  The  growers  now 
using  boxes  wrap  their  apples  in  oiled  paper  and  pack  them  according 
to  numerical  count.  Special  brands  are  used,  designated  by  attractive 
lithographed  labels  on  the  ends  of  the  boxes. 

The  western  apple  box  has  much  to  recommend  it  as  a  package 
for  Calhoun  county.  It  is  a  neat  and  attractive  package  when  prop- 
erly packed ;  it  is  strong  and  protects  its  contents  well  during  shipping 
and  handling;  it  stacks  well  in  storage,  and  because  of  this,  storage 
rates  on  such  packages  are  comparable  with  rates  on  barrels  rather 
than  on  baskets.  An  added  point  in  favor  of  the  box  for  Calhoun 
county  is  that  it  must  be  carried  when  being  loaded  and  unloaded. 
This  prevents  such  bruising  as  is  likely  to  occur  in  barrels. 


Calhoun  county  is  bounded,  except  on  the  north,  by  navigable 
rivers.  There  is  not  a  railroad  in  the  county  nor  a  bridge  across 
either  river.  Hence  practically  all  the  apples  leaving  the  county  must 
go  by  boat,  transfer  barge,  or  ferry.  Since  practically  all  the  apples 
are  packed  in  the  orchard,  they  are  hauled  in  the  shipping  packages 
directly  from  the  orchard  to  the  loading  point  instead  of  being  hauled 
in  field  crates  from  the  orchard  to  a  packing  shed  on  the  premises  of 
the  grower  or  at  a  railway  siding,  as  is  done  in  many  other  regions. 
The  loading  point  is  usually  either  a  steamboat  landing  on  the  river 
bank  or  a  place  where  a  transfer  barge  or  a  ferry  operates. 

Wagons  or  Trucks  Haul  Apples  to  River  Landings 

Either  wagons  or  trucks  are  used  in  hauling  the  apples  from  the 
orchards.  The  length  of  the  haul  varies  from  less  than  one-half  mile 
to  several  miles.  During  the  extremely  high  water  in  the  fall  of  1926 
many  of  the  boat  landings  were  unable  to  operate,  so  that  many 
growers  were  forced  to  haul  their  apples  long  distances  to  other  land- 
ings. This  situation,  tho  unusual,  is  likely  to  recur  from  time  to  time. 

The  character  of  the  roads  over  which  the  fruit  is  hauled  varies 
greatly  in  different  parts  of  the  county  and  under  different  weather 
conditions.  The  only  hard  road  is  that  from  Hardin  to  Kampsville. 
Dirt  roads  that  normally  are  relatively  good  are  cut  into  deep  ruts 
after  a  few  days  of  rainy  weather  and  at  times  are  nearly  impassable. 
Some  roads,  improved  by  surfacing  with  rock  and  gravel  in  former 
years,  have  not  been  given  proper  maintenance  and  are  quite  rough 
and  rocky. 

The  character  of  the  roads  has,  of  course,  a  very  important  bear- 
ing upon  the  size  of  load  that  each  hauling  unit  can  handle  and  on  the 
number  of  trips  that  can  be  made  in  a  day.  It  also  has  a  bearing 
upon  the  condition  and  keeping  quality  of  the  apples ;  for  it  is  hard  to 
conceive  of  any  package  of  apples,  even  tho  well  packed,  being  hauled 


574 


BULLETIN  No.  312 


[June, 


four  or  five  miles  over  rough  roads  without  the  fruit  being  injured  to 
some  extent.  In  slack-packed  barrels  or  baskets  the  fruit  suffers 
much  more. 

The  use  of  motor  trucks  in  hauling  fruit  from  the  orchard  to  the 
loading  point  is  becoming  more  common  each  year.  Fruit  hauled  in 
trucks  probably  receives  more  jolting  than  fruit  hauled  in  wagons 
properly  equipped  with  springs.  However,  the  speed  with  which  the 
work  can  be  done  by  truck  seems  destined  to  make  the  truck  the 
common  vehicle  for  the  apple  hauling  in  the  near  future.  Careful 
driving  will  eliminate  part  of  the  jolting. 

Larger  loads  can  be  hauled  with  trucks  than  with  wagons.  The 
load  for  a  wagon  usually  varies  from  12  to  18  barrels,  depending 
largely  upon  the  condition  of  the  roads.  Altho  small  trucks  under 
unfavorable  road  conditions  may  haul  only  12  barrels,  the  more  usual 
load  for  the  larger  trucks  is  18  to  24  barrels,  and  sometimes  even 
larger  loads  are  hauled. 

RIVER  TRANSPORTATION  HAS  CARRIED  BULK  OF  CROP 

River  transportation  has  been  the  dominant  factor  in  the  move- 
ment of  apples  from  Calhoun  county.  Shipments  to  St.  Louis,  Han- 
nibal, and  Peoria  have  normally  traveled  the  entire  distance  by  water, 
while  those  to  other  markets  have  moved  by  boat  to  some  rail  shipping 


FIG.  6. — STEAMSHIP  Belle  oj  Calhoun  READY  TO  DISCHARGE  CARGO 

OF  APPLES  AT  ST.  Louis  LEVEE 
This  is  the  largest  boat  engaged  in  transporting  apples  from  Calhoun  county. 


point,  there  to  be  transferred  to  cars.  This  double  handling,  with  the 
combined  charges  for  boat  and  rail  service  previous  to  the  extension 
of  the  railroad  to  East  Hardin,  made  transportation  rates  high  to  all 
markets  that  could  not  be  reached  directly  by  water.  This  fact, 
coupled  with  the  remoteness  of  other  large  markets,  has  caused  St. 


1928] 


MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES 


575 


Louis  to  be  the  principal  market  for  Calhoun  county  apples.  In  fact, 
previous  to  1927,  more  apples  were  shipped  from  Calhoun  county  by 
boat  to  St.  Louis  than  to  all  other  markets  and  by  all  other  transpor- 
tation methods  (Table  7). 


TABLE  7. — RIVER  RECEIPTS  OF  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES  AT  ST.  Louis,  1922-1927 


Year 

Calhoun  county 
crop 

To  St.  Louis  by  river1 

1922  

bbls. 
416  001 
536  087 
343  699 
451  389 
400  636 
240  142 

bbls. 
281  820 
328  482 
219  992 
244  518 
223  347 
60  225 

perct. 
67.7 
61.2 
64.0 
54.1 
55.7 
25.0 

1923  

1924  . 

1925  

1926  

1927  

•St.  Louis  Daily  Market  Reporter,  November  30,  1927,  published  by  O'Connor  Market  Reporter 
Company. 

Steamboat  Lines  Handle  Shipments  on  Illinois  and 
Mississippi  Rivers 

The  part  of  Calhoun  county  bordering  on  the  Illinois  river  is 
served  by  the  Eagle  Packet  Company.  The  steamer,  Golden  Eagle, 
operates  regularly  between  St.  Louis  and  Peoria,  leaving  St.  Louis 
twice  every  week  except  during  the  winter  months.  The  steamer, 
Piasa,  has  hauled  apples  during  harvest  time,  operating  mainly  down 
the  river  from  Calhoun  county  loading  points  to  St.  Louis. 

Apples  that  are  shipped  by  water  from  the  west  side  of  the  county 
are  handled  by  the  Tennessee  River  Packet  Company,  or  by  the  St. 
Louis  &  Calhoun  Packet  Corporation,  operating  steamboats  on  the 
Mississippi  river. 

The  Tennessee  River  Packet  Company  operates  boats  regularly 
between  St.  Louis  and  Quincy.  The  schedule  is  for  two  trips  a  week. 
Three  boats  of  this  company  are  available  for  use  in  transporting 
apples:  namely,  The  Alabama,  the  Crescent,  and  the  Jane  Khea.  Dur- 
ing the  apple  season  part  of  these  boats  ply  between  St.  Louis  and  Cal- 
houn county  points  rather  than  making  the  entire  trip  to  Quincy,  and 
they  sometimes  make  three  trips  a  week. 

The  St.  Louis  &  Calhoun  Packet  Corporation  operates  the  Belle 
of  Calhoun  and  the  Illinois,  making  two  trips  a  week  between  St.  Louis 
and  Louisiana,  Missouri.  When  freight  movement  is  heavy,  both 
boats  are  operated. 

The  Golden  Eagle,  Piasa,  Alabama,  and  Belle  of  Calhoun  are  able 
to  carry  large  cargoes  on  their  own  decks  and  also  may  propel  one  or 
two  barges  each,  thus  greatly  increasing  their  hauling  capacity.  The 
Crescent,  Jane  Rhea,  and  Illinois  push  large  barges  but  carry  no 
freight  on  their  own  decks.  The  boats  of  the  three  transportation 
companies,  together  with  their  barges,  are  capable  of  moving  more 
than  60,000  barrels  of  apples  a  week. 


576 


BULLETIN  No.  312 


[June, 


In  addition  to  the  boats  that  have  been  mentioned,  there  are 
several  smaller  boats  that  either  have  their  decks  laden  or  push 
barges,  which  sometimes  handle  a  considerable  volume  of  apples. 
They  have  no  particular  schedule  nor  particular  route  but  pick  up 
business  whenever  and  wherever  they  can  do  so  advantageously. 


FIG.  7. — LOADING  APPLES  ON  OPEN  DECK  OF  ONE  OF  THE  SMALLER  BOATS 
Boats  of  this  type,  arid  also   small   power  boats  that   push  barges,   haul 
many  apples  in  seasons  of  heavy  crop. 


FIG.  8. — STREET  SCENE  IN  HAMBURG  DURING  APPLE  HARVEST 
When  the  warehouses  at  the  boat  landings  have  no  more  room  for  the  apples 
hauled  in  from  the  orchards,  the  barrels  of  fruit  are  piled  in  the  street  or  along 
the  river  bank. 


Boats  Make  Trip  to  St  Louis  Within  Twenty-Four  Hours 

The  running  time  of  the  packets  from  Calhoun  county  landings 
to  St.  Louis  varies  considerably  with  conditions.     When  there  are 


1928] 


MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES 


577 


large  volumes  of  freight  to  be  loaded  at  each  landing,  more  time  is 
required  to  make  the  trip  than  when  the  loading  is  light  and  some 
stops  may  be  omitted.  There  are  fifteen  landings  in  Calhoun  county 
on  the  Illinois  river  and  twenty  on  the  Mississippi  river  at  which  stops 
are  scheduled;  but  the  boat  does  not  stop  at  a  landing  unless  there  is 
freight  to  be  delivered  or  loaded.  The  stage  of  the  river  also  has 
considerable  influence  on  the  running  time  of  the  boats.  Nevertheless, 
it  is  seldom  that  more  than  twenty-four  hours  are  required  to  make  the 
trip  from  the  upper  landings  in  the  county  to  the  levee  at  St.  Louis. 

Delay  in  getting  Calhoun  county  apples  from  orchard  to  market 
is  not  due  to  slow  running  time  of  boats  on  the  rivers,  but  rather  to 
the  fact  that  the  boats  do  not  always  take  all  the  apples  that  are  at 
the  landings.  Sometimes  at  the  peak  of  the  harvest,  apples  may  lie 


FIG.  9. — Golden  Eagle  RECEIVING  FREIGHT  AT  HARDIN 
The  gangplank  extends  from  the  warehouse  to  the  boat  deck, 
house  was  damaged  when  struck  by  a  boat  during  high  water.) 


(The  ware- 


at  the  landing  for  several  days  before  a  boat  comes  along  that  has 
room  to  haul  them.  At  other  times  a  grower  may  request  that  ship- 
ment of  his  apples  be  deferred  in  the  hope  that  market  conditions  may 
improve.  It  has  been  reported  that  in  extreme  cases  certain  barrels 
of  apples  have  been  at  the  landing  for  thirty  days  before  they  were 
loaded. 

Warehouses  at  Boat  Landings  Inadequate 

At  most  of  the  boat  landings  there  are  sheds  or  barns  which  are 
supposed  to  serve  as  warehouses  for  the  apples  until  they  are  loaded. 
In  most  cases  these  sheds  are  owned  by  the  landing  keepers,  who 
charge  a  fee  of  3  to  5  cents  a  barrel  on  all  apples  loaded  at  the  given 


578 


BULLETIN  No.  312 


[June, 


landing.  At  most  of  the  landings  the  warehouses  have  a  capacity  of 
less  than  1,000  barrels,  tho  at  Hamburg  there  is  capacity  of  approxi- 
mately 5,000  barrels.  When  the  harvest  is  at  its  height,  more  apples 


FIG.  10. — ROLLING  BARRELED  APPLES  FROM  WAREHOUSE  TO  STEAMBOAT 
Deck  hands  starting  to  roll  barrels  of  apples  from  warehouse  across  the 
ground  to  the  gangplank  of  the  steamship  Alabama.  Some  livestock  had  just  been 
loaded  and  the  hurdles  forming  the  chute  had  not  yet  been  removed  when  this 
picture  was  taken. 


FIG.  11. — ANOTHER  VIEW  OF  BARREL  LOADING 

Each  deck  hand  has  a  short  pike  pole  with  which  he  manipulates  the  bar- 
rels.   This  is  a  common  method  of  loading  apples  on  to  boats  in  Calhoun  county. 


1928]  MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES  579 

are  brought  to  the  landings  than  can  be  placed  in  the  warehouses.  The 
excess  packages  are  piled  on  the  ground  wherever  space  may  be  found. 
At  Hamburg,  in  spite  of  the  5,000-barrel  warehouse  capacity,  it  is  not 
uncommon  to  find  the  principal  street  of  the  town  piled  high  with 
barrels  of  apples  exposed  to  rain  or  sun. 

Delays  in  Shipping  Impair  Keeping  Quality  of  Fruit 

To  determine  the  effects  of  delayed  shipment  on  the  keeping  qual- 
ity of  apples,  tests  were  run  during  1926  and  1927  on  Jonathan,  Wine- 
sap,  and  Willow  Twig  apples  grown  in  Calhoun  county. 

In  1926  it  was  planned  to  ship  four  barrels  of  each  variety  by 
boat  to  St.  Louis  as  soon  as  picked  and  there  to  place  them  in  cold 
storage;  four  barrels  were  to  have  been  held  in  the  orchard  two  weeks 
exposed  to  the  weather,  and  four  barrels  were  to  have  been  held  in 
sheds  at  the  loading  point  for  the  same  period  before  being  sent  to 
storage.  Owing  to  unavoidable  conditions  some  of  the  lots  were  de- 
layed in  their  trip  to  storage.  A  misunderstanding  caused  the  Willow 
Twigs  to  be  shipped  to  storage  a  week  earlier  than  planned.  The 
exact  number  of  days  elapsing  between  the  picking  dates  and  the  dates 
the  various  lots  were  placed  in  cold  storage  in  St.  Louis  are  shown  in 
Table  8,  together  with  the  conditions  under  which  they  were  held 
before  being  stored  and  the  average  mean  daily  temperatures  prevail- 
ing during  the  time  the  various  lots  were  held. 

At  different  times  during  the  storage  season  one  barrel  of  each 
lot  was  removed  from  storage,  and  detailed  examinations  of  the  apples 
made.  The  differences  in  the  condition  of  the  apples  in  the  various 
lots  on  specified  dates  are  shown  in  Table  8. 

During  the  1927  season  tests  similar  to  those  made  in  1926  were 
conducted  with  the  same  varieties.  The  apples  in  these  tests,  however, 
were  packed  in  tub  bushels.  The  treatments  given  the  various  lots 
were  similar  to  those  planned  for  the  1926  tests.  The  time  that 
elapsed  between  picking  the  various  lots  and  placing  them  in  cold 
storage  in  St.  Louis  is  shown  in  Table  9,  together  with  the  results  of 
detailed  examinations  made  at  various  times  during  the  storage  season. 

In  both  the  1926  and  1927  tests,  when  a  package  had  been  exam- 
ined and  a  record  of  its  condition  made  the  fruit  wTas  disposed  of. 
The  subsequent  examinations  were  made  on  other  packages  of  the  cor- 
responding lots.  The  results,  therefore,  could  not  be  expected  to  be 
exactly  the  same  for  the  same  lots  because  the  keeping  quality  of 
apples  in  the  different  packages  might  vary  somewhat  even  under 
identical  treatment.  Significant  differences  in  the  keeping  quality  of 
the  apples  handled  in  different  ways  are,  however,  shown  in  some  cases. 

There  are  apparently  no  significant  differences  shown  in  the  keep- 
ing quality  of  the  Willow  Twig  lots  and  the  Winesap  lots  examined 
in  the  1926  tests.  The  differences  noted  are  too  small  to  be  significant. 
This  can  partly  be  explained  by  the  low  temperatures  that  prevailed 


580 


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582  BULLETIN  No.  312  [June, 

during  the  time  the  apples  were  held  before  being  placed  in  cold 
storage  and,  in  the  case  of  the  Willow  Twigs,  by  the  relatively  small 
difference  in  the  length  of  time  over  which  the  different  lots  were  held 
before  being  stored. 

The  results  of  the  tests  on  Jonathans,  however,  indicate  that  the 
apples  in  Lot  1,  held  in  the  shed  for  12  days,  kept  significantly  better 
than  those  of  Lots  2,  3,  and  4,  held  longer  in  orchard  and  shed.  The 
percentage  of  decay  in  Lot  1  was  much  smaller  than  in  the  other  lots; 
the  fruit  was  not  as  slack  in  the  barrels  and  did  not  ripen  as  rapidly 
during  the  storage  period. 

The  results  of  the  1927  tests,  as  shown  in  Table  9,  indicate  that 
delay  in  placing  apples  in  cold  storage  was  very  detrimental  to  the 
keeping  quality  of  the  three  varieties  tested.  In  the  case  of  all  these 
varieties  the  apples  that  were  shipped  to  storage  soon  after  picking 
showed  much  less  decay  at  all  later  examinations  than  did  those  held 
at  the  shipping  point  for  two  to  three  weeks  before  being  placed  in 
cold  storage.  Fruit  shipped  immediately  to  storage  ripened  much  less 
rapidly  than  fruit  held  two  to  three  weeks,  and  the  packs  remained 
tight  for  a  much  longer  period. 

In  none  of  the  tests  did  apples  held  in  the  orchard  with  no  pro- 
tection from  the  weather  show  significant  differences  in  condition 
from  those  held  in  sheds  where  they  were  protected.  The  packages 
that  were  exposed  to  the  weather  were,  however,  not  as  clean  and 
attractive  in  appearance  as  those  held  in  sheds. 

These  tests  show  that  with  normal  weather  conditions  it  is  detri- 
mental to  the  keeping  quality  of  apples  of  midseason  and  late  varieties 
to  withhold  them  from  storage  for  more  than  a  very  few  days.  Work 
done  by  investigators  in  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  shows 
that  prompt  storage  after  apples  have  been  picked  is  important  be- 
cause it  prevents  rapid  softening  of  the  fruit  and  because  it  retards  the 
development  of  destructive  storage  rots.  It  is  stated:1  "At  70°  F., 
softening  proceeds  approximately  twice  as  rapidly  as  at  50°  F.  At 
50°  F.,  it  is  almost  double  the  rate  at  40°  F.,  while  at  the  latter  tem- 
perature softening  proceeds  fully  twice  as  rapidly  as  at  32°  F."  Later 
in  the  same  publication  the  investigators  say:  "It  is  of  fundamental 
importance  that  apples  intended  for  cold  storage  holding  be  moved  to 
the  storage  rooms  as  soon  as  possible  after  picking."  Brooks,  Fisher, 
and  Cooley2  say:  "When  fruit  is  placed  in  cold  storage  immediately 
upon  picking,  the  rots  develop  slowly,  but  if  the  rot  organisms  can 
have  a  week's  start  on  the  warm  fruit,  they  will  make  a  rapid  growth 
even  at  32°  F." 


'Magness,  J.  R.,  et  al.  The  ripening,  storage,  and  handling  of  apples. 
U.  S.  D.  A.  Dept.  Bui.  1406.  1926. 

2Brooks,  Chas.,  Cooley,  J.  S.,  and  Fisher,  D.  F.  Diseases  of  apples  in 
storage.  U.  S.  D.  A.  Farmers'  Bui.  1160.  1920. 


1928] 


MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES 


583 


If  apples  are  to  be  placed  on  the  market  in  good  condition  for 
storing,  they  must  be  shipped  as  soon  as  packed.  Much  of  the  fruit 
bought  at  harvest  time  is  bought  for  storing,  and  fruit  that  shows  rot 
or  is  too  ripe  for  safe  storage  is  usually  discounted  in  price  according 
to  its  condition.  Holding  apples  in  sheds  or  at  loading  points  in  the 
hope  that  market  conditions  will  improve  is,  therefore,  likely  to  be  an 
unprofitable  practice. 

Rolling  of  Barreled  Apples  Adds  to  Damage 

When  a  packet  stops  at  a  landing  to  pick  up  freight,  the  barrels 
are  rolled  on  their  sides  directly  from  the  warehouse  to  the  gangplank 
or  down  the  river  bank  to  the  gangplank  and  on  to  the  boat  deck  or 
the  barge  beside  the  boat.  When  the  banks  are  muddy,  boards  are 
usually  laid  down  to  keep  the  barrels  out  of  the  mud.  As  the  barrels 
are  loaded  on  the  boat  they  are  placed  on  end  in  stacks  two  or  three 
high.  Part  of  the  barrels  on  the  boat  deck  have  some  protection  from 
the  weather,  but  those  on  the  barge  have  none. 

When  the  boat  lands  in  St.  Louis,  the  barrels  are  rolled  down  the 
gangplank  or  runway  on  to  the  levee.  There  they  are  rolled  over  the 


FIG.  12. — UNLOADING  APPLES  AT  THE  LEVEE  IN  ST.  Louis 

The  barrels  are  rolled  down  the  gangplank  and  over  the  cobblestone  surface 
of  the  levee.  Unless  tightly  packed,  considerable  bruising  of  the  fruit  is  likely 
to  result. 


cobblestones  to  the  location  of  their  respective  lots,  where  they  are 
stacked  on  their  sides,  usually  three  high,  and  are  left  to  be  disposed 
of  by  the  dealers  to  whom  they  are  shipped.  The  cobblestone  surface 
of  the  levee  is  quite  rough  and  it  is  doubtful  if  a  barrel  of  apples  can 
be  rolled  over  these  stones  without  bruising  some  of  the  fruit.  Fruit 
that  was  slack-packed  or  that  has  been  held  at  the  landing  too  long 


584  BULLETIN  No.  312  [June, 

before  shipment  suffers  worse  than  fruit  that  is  tight  in  the  package, 
but  even  the  best-packed  barrels  of  fruit  cannot  escape  some  injury 
when  subjected  to  such  treatment,  especially  when  the  handlers  are 
not  so  careful  as  they  might  be  in  rolling  the  barrels  about  on  the 
levee.  Baskets  and  boxes  are  carried  instead  of  being  rolled  in  loading 
and  unloading  and  therefore  their  contents  are  likely  to  suffer  less 
injury  than  the  fruit  shipped  in  barrels. 

When  the  apples  have  been  unloaded  and  piled  in  individual  lots 
on  the  levee,  the  duty  of  the  transportation  agency  is  completed. 
Apples  consigned  to  the  cold-storage  houses  are  hauled  away  to  the 
coolers  soon  after  they  are  unloaded.  Those  intended  for  sale  on  the 
open  market  are  taken  in  charge  by  the  dealer  to  whom  they  are  con- 
signed or  who  may  already  own  them  but  may  wish  to  dispose  of  them 
immediately. 

River  Rates  Uniform  on  Barrel  Shipments  to  St  Louis 
The  river  freight  rates  on  barrels  of  apples  from  Calhoun  county 
are  the  same  regardless  of  the  number  of  barrels  in  the  shipment. 
There  is  no  distinction  between  large  and  small  lots  corresponding  to 
the  c.l.  and  l.c.l.  railroad  rates.  Thus  the  small  shipper  is  at  no 
disadvantage  so  far  as  freight  rates  are  concerned.  Furthermore, 
barrels  of  apples  from  all  boat  landings  in  Calhoun  county  take  the 
same  rate  to  St.  Louis,  even  tho  the  nearest  landing  is  only  about  40 
miles  from  that  city  and  the  farthest  approximately  100  miles  by  the 
river  route.  The  greatest  expense  in  transporting  these  apples  is  in 
taking  on  and  discharging  the  cargoes.  All  labor  connected  with  these 
operations  is  furnished  by  the  transportation  company.  The  flat  rate 
tends  to  equalize  the  marketing  costs  for  growers  in  different  parts  of 
the  county  desiring  to  use  the  St.  Louis  market.  This  rate  is  40  cents 
a  barrel.  Rates  on  bushel  baskets,  boxes,  and  sacks  have  differed 
slightly  at  different  points  in  the  county.  From  Mississippi  river 
landings  the  rate  on  each  of  these  packages  in  1927  was  15  cents, 
while  from  landings  on  the  Illinois  river  it  was  20  cents.  The  rate  to 
Peoria  from  Illinois  river  landings  was  45  cents  on  barrels  and  25 
cents  on  baskets,  boxes,  and  sacks. 

FACILITIES  FOR  RAIL  TRANSPORTATION 
RECENTLY  IMPROVED 

Altho  there  are  no  railroads  in  Calhoun  county,  three  railway 
companies  have  lines  that  run  close  enough  to  the  county  to  receive 
apples  as  freight. 

Most  Important  Loading  Point  on  C.  &  A.  at  East  Hardin 

The  most  important  rail  loading  point  for  Calhoun  county  apples 
is  East  Hardin,  which  is  directly  across  the  Illinois  river  from  Hardin 


MARKETING  CALHOUX  COUNTY  APPLES 


585 


FIG.  13. — MAP  OF  CALHOUN  COUNTY  AND  VICINITY 

The  county  is  nearly  surrounded  by  navigable  rivers.  Altho  there  are  no 
railroads  in  the  county,  three  railway  companies  have  lines  sufficiently  close  to 
receive  apples  as  freight.  Hard  roads  connect  the  county  with  East  St.  Louis 
and  St.  Louis. 


and  is  served  by  a  branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railway  running 
from  Carrollton,  in  Greene  county.  The  extension  from  Eldred  to 
East  Hardin  was  completed  in  1925,  and  thus  has  been  available  for 
rail  shipments  only  three  seasons.  Previous  to  the  completion  of  this 
line  shipments  might  have  been  made  from  Eldred  by  trucking  the 
apples  about  four  miles  after  crossing  the  Illinois  river  by  ferry  at 
Kampsville.  Very  few  apples,  however,  have  ever  been  loaded  at 
Eldred. 

Apples  May  Be  Loaded  Directly  Into  Cars  at  East  Hardin 

At  East  Hardin  the  apples  may  be  loaded  into  cars  from  transfer 
barges  or  from  trucks  or  wagons  that  have  been  ferried  across  the 
river.  A  track  extends  over  the  levee  and,  paralleling  the  stream 
for  a  few  hundred  yards,  descends  by  a  gentle  incline  into  the  water, 


586 


BULLETIN  No.  312 


[June, 


so  that  at  any  stage  of  the  river  apples  can  be  loaded  directly  from 
transfer  barges  into  the  cars.  The  lower  end  of  the  track  is  always 
submerged  and  cars  may  be  backed  down  the  slope  as  far  as  may  be 
necessary  for  convenient  loading. 


FIG.  14. — RAILROAD  TRACK  EXTENDING  ALONG  THE  RIVER  AT  EAST  HARDIN 
The  lower  end  of  the  track  is  submerged.     Cars  may  be  "spotted"  at  any 
point  to  facilitate  loading  of  apples  directly  from  barges. 


Barges  operate  between  Hardin  and  East  Hardin  thru  the  ship- 
ping season.  At  Hardin  the  apples  are  unloaded  from  trucks  or 
wagons  and  slid  directly  down  skids  and  runways  on  to  the  barges 
or  are  left  on  the  bank  until  a  barge  is  ready  to  receive  them.  Barrels 
are  usually  loaded  two  tiers  high  on  these  transfer  barges,  about  1,250 
barrels  making  a  full  load.  As  soon  as  a  barge  is  loaded,  the  power 
boat  pushes  it  across  the  river,  where  it  is  tied  up  alongside  the  track. 
The  barrels  are  then  rolled  on  skids  directly  into  the  cars. 

The  ferry  operating  between  Hardin  and  East  Hardin  has  sufficient 
capacity  for  hauling  from  six  to  eight  loaded  trucks  at  a  time  and  can 
make  a  round  trip  in  about  thirty  minutes.  Many  growers  prefer  this 
method  of  getting  their  fruit  to  the  cars  at  East  Hardin,  since  there 
is  usually  less  delay  in  getting  the  apples  from  the  orchard  to  the  car 
and  also  less  handling  of  the  fruit.  The  ferry  charge  at  this  point  in 
1927  was  5  cents  a  barrel  or  2  cents  a  basket.  There  was  no  charge 
for  the  empty  truck  going  back.  The  rate  on  the  transfer  barge  was 
10  cents  a  barrel  or  5  cents  a  basket,  but  in  this  case  the  transfer 
company  performed  all  the  labor  involved  in  handling  the  apples  from 
the  time  they  were  unloaded  from  the  shipper's  truck  at  the  river  bank 
in  Hardin  until  they  were  loaded  into  the  cars  at  East  Hardin.  When 
the  apples  were  transferred  by  ferry,  the  shipper  did  his  own  loading. 
In  1926  about  80  percent  of  the  apples  shipped  by  rail  from  East 
Hardin  were  transferred  across  the  river  by  barges;  but  in  1927  after 


1928]  MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES  587 

the  capacity  of  the  ferry  had  been  greatly  increased,  more  apples  were 
transported  by  ferry  than  by  barge.  Rail  shipments  from  East  Hardin 
have  been  as  follows:  in  1925,  542  cars;  in  1926,  405  cars;  in  1927,  311 
cars.1  Many  of  these  cars  were  iced  at  Roodhouse  before  being  loaded. 
Possibility  of  a  Bridge  at  Hardin. — It  is  the  expectation  that  a 
bridge  across  the  Illinois  river  at  Hardin  and  East  Hardin  will  be 
constructed  in  the  near  future.  Appropriations  have  been  made  by 
the  state  for  the  construction  of  this  bridge  and  the  plans  are  practi- 
cally completed.  When  the  bridge  is  finished,  it  will  be  possible  to 
truck  apples  directly  from  the  orchards  to  the  team  tracks  in  East 
Hardin  without  the  use  of  barge  or  ferry  and  this  will  tend  greatly  to 
increase  shipments  at  this  point. 

Loading  Points  Available  on  C.  B.  &  Q.  in  Missouri 

The  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  runs  along  the  west 
side  of  the  Mississippi  river  from  St.  Louis  to  Hannibal  and  makes 
connections  there  for  Quincy,  Kansas  City,  Chicago,  Minneapolis,  and 
other  markets.  At  Peruque,  Missouri,  the  tracks  are  only  about  one- 
fourth  of  a  mile  from  the  river.  A  few  apples  ferried  across  the  river 
on  trucks  at  this  point  are  loaded  into  cars  for  shipment.  At  one  time 
there  was  a  spur  track  extending  into  the  river  at  Peruque  like  the 
one  at  East  Hardin,  but  this  was  removed  when  the  brick  plant  across 
the  river  ceased  to  operate.  There  has  been,  at  various  times,  some 
agitation  among  the  growers  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county  to 
have  this  track  replaced  so  that  apples  may  be  loaded  from  barges 
into  cars  at  this  point.  The  ferry  goes  a  considerable  distance  up  the 
river  from  Golden  Eagle  to  Peruque,  requiring  about  1%  hours  to 
make  the  round  trip.  The  ferry  charge  is  one  dollar  each  way  for  a 
truck  regardless  of  its  size. 

North  of  Peruque  the  C.  B.  &  Q.  swings  away  from  the  river  and 
there  are  no  other  readily  accessible  loading  points  until  Clarksville 
is  reached.  Here  the  railway  sidings  are  about  a  quarter  mile  from 
the  river  landing  point  for  transfer  barges.  Clarksville,  Missouri?  is 
about  15  miles  upstream  from  Hamburg,  Illinois,  which  is  the  largest 
apple  shipping  point  in  Calhoun  county.  In  spite  of  this  distance  a 
considerable  volume  of  apples  is  brought  on  transfer  barges  from 
Hamburg  to  Clarksville  and  there  loaded  into  cars. 

When  shipments  are  heavy,  two  barges  are  in  operation  between 
these  points.  The  shippers  deliver  their  apples  at  a  warehouse  in 
Hamburg.  The  transfer  companies  handle  them  from  that  point  to 
the  cars,  including  the  wagon  haul  from  the  landing  at  Clarksville  to 
the  railroad.  During  the  busy  season  one  round  trip  is  usually  made 
by  each  barge  every  twenty-four  hours.  The  transfer  charge  in  1927 
was  25  cents  a  barrel,  including  the  warehouse  fee  at  the  loading  point. 

'Data  furnished  by  Traffic  Department  of  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad. 


588  BULLETIN  No.  312  [June, 

In  1925,  177  cars  of  apples  were  shipped  from  Clarksville.  Most 
of  these  apples  came  from  Calhoun  county  and  went  to  Chicago.  In 
1926  the  shipments  from  this  point  amounted  to  264  cars  and  in  1927, 
127  cars.1  Many  of  the  cars  shipped  from  Clarksville  were  iced  at 
Hannibal  before  being  loaded. 

Apples  Ferried  Across  River  Loaded  at  Grafton 

Grafton,  in  Jersey  county,  is  served  by  the  Alton  &  Eastern  Rail- 
road. A  good  many  apples  loaded  in  trucks  are  ferried  across  the 
Illinois  river  below  Deerplain  and  hauled  to  Grafton  for  loading  into 
cars.  To  reach  the  ferry  from  the  nearest  orchards  the  apples  must 
be  hauled  two  to  three  miles  over  dirt  and  macadam  roads  thru  the 
river  bottoms.  After  crossing  the  ferry  the  trucks  must  cover  more 
than  three  miles  of  rough  road,  partly  dirt  and  partly  improved,  to 
reach  the  loading  tracks  at  Grafton.  The  transfer  charge  at  this 
ferry  in  1927  was  one  dollar  for  each  truck  one  way.  The  round  trip 
rate  was  $1.50  for  trucks  under  two  tons,  and  $2  for  trucks  of  two-ton 
capacity  or  over.  This  would  be  about  7%  cents  a  barrel  for  average 
loads  on  1%-  and  2-ton  trucks.  The  ferry  at  this  point  is  small  and 
can  haul  only  one  or  two  trucks  at  a  load.  If  large  quantities  of  fruit 
were  to  be  handled  here,  considerable  increase  in  transfer  facilities 
would  be  necessary. 

Another  way  in  which  apples  might  be  taken  to  Grafton  for  ship- 
ment by  rail  would  be  to  transport  them  by  packet  from  any  river 
landing  in  the  county  and  transfer  them  by  wragon  or  truck  from  the 
landing  at  Grafton  to  the  cars.  Or  the  same  method  might  be  em- 
ployed for  loading  them  into  cars  at  Alton  or  St.  Louis.  The  rate  by 
packet  is  the  same  whether  the  apples  are  unloaded  at  Grafton,  Alton, 
or  St.  Louis.  The  total  charge  for  getting  a  barrel  of  apples  from  the 
boat  landing  in  Calhoun  county  to  the  cars  at  any  of  these  points  is 
approximately  45  cents  besides  the  drayage  charge.  This  expense  is 
involved  before  the  apples  are  even  started  by  rail.  This  method 
also  involves  considerable  delay  before  the  fruit  can  be  put  under 
refrigeration  and  requires  a  large  amount  of  handling  which  impairs 
rather  than  improves  the  keeping  quality  of  the  apples.  It  is  there- 
fore seldom  used. 

Shipments  of  Calhoun  county  apples  by  rail  from  Grafton  during 
the  last  three  years  have  been  approximately  as  follows:  1925,  100 
cars;  1926,  100  cars;  1927,  70  cars.2 

The  Chicago  &  Alton  line  from  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  to  Spring- 
field, Illinois,  passes  thru  Pike  county  about  three  miles  from  the 

'Data  furnished  by  General  Freight  Department  of  Missouri  District  of 
C.  B.  &  Q.  Ry. 

!Data  furnished  by  Freight  Department  of  A.  &  E.  R.  R.  and  station  agent 
at  Grafton. 


1928} 


MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES 


589 


north  boundary  of  Calhoun  county.  Up  to  the  present  time  relatively 
few  apples  have  been  produced  in  the  extreme  north  end  of  the  county 
and  shipping  points  on  this  railway  line  have  been  of  little  im- 
portance in  moving  the  crop,  tho  some  Calhoun  county  apples  have 
been  shipped  from  Pleasant  Hill  and  from  Nebo.  Shipments  from 
Pleasant  Hill  were  3  cars  in  1925,  5  cars  in  1926,  and  5  cars  in  1927.1 
Shipments  from  Nebo  were  7  cars  in  1926,  and  3  cars  in  1927.1 
The  orchards  in  Calhoun  county  close  to  Nebo  are  just  coming  into 
bearing  and  it  is  probable  that  rail  shipments  from  this  point  will 
show  a  marked  increase  in  the  near  future. 

Freight  Rates  to  Various  Markets 

Railway  freight  rates  on  apples  from  the  principal  loading  points 
accessible  to  Calhoun  county  growers  to  some  of  the  important  mar- 
kets are  given  in  Table  10. 

TABLE  10. — CARLOT  FREIGHT  RATES  ON  BARREL  AND  BASKET  APPLES 

FROM  POINTS  ACCESSIBLE  TO  CALHOUN  CouNTY1 

(Rate  in  cents  per  cwt.2) 


From 

East  Hardin 

Graf  ton 

Clarksville 

East  St.  Louis  

13 

11 

20 

18 

14.5 

22 

27.5 

20.5 

32 

32 

26.5 

Memphis  

42.5 

42.5 

42.5 

32 

30.5 

42 

Minneapolis  

44 

44 

44 

'Data  furnished  by  the  railway  companies  concerned,  winter  of  1927-28. 
2Icing  charges  are  not  included  in  these  rates. 

The  rail  rate  from  East  Hardin  to  St.  Louis  in  carload  lots  (with- 
out refrigeration)  is  10  cents  a  barrel  less  than  the  river  rate  but  does 
not  include  the  transfer  by  ferry  or  barge  to  the  rail  loading  point  nor 
unloading  at  destination.  The  rail  rate  from  Clarksville  to  St.  Louis 
is  only  slightly  over  half  the  river  rate  from  Hamburg,  but  to  this 
rail  rate  must  be  added  the  25  cents  per  barrel  charge  for  the  transfer 
by  barge  from  Hamburg  to  Clarksville,  thus  making  the  total  cost  of 
transportation  by  barge  and  rail  greater  than  by  boat. 

Boat  Shipments  Faster  Than  Rail  From  East 
Hardin  to  St.  Louis 

Shipments  by  rail  from  Clarksville,  which  leave  that  loading 
point  in  the  evening,  normally  reach  St.  Louis  by  the  next  morning, 
but  rail  shipments  from  East  Hardin  may  require  two  or  three  days  to 
reach  the  same  market.  River  transportation  usually  requires  no  more 
than  24  hours  from  any  loading  point  in  Calhoun  county  to  St.  Louis. 

'Data,  furnished  by  Traffic  Department  of  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  and 
station  agents  at  Pleasant  Hill  and  Nebo. 


590 


BULLETIN  No.  312 


[June, 


FIG.  15. — RIVER  SCENE  AT  HARDIN 

In  the  foreground  are  barges  loaded  with  apples  and  a  power  boat  for  trans- 
ferring the  barges  to  East  Hardin.  In  the  background  is  the  steamship  Golden 
Eagle  that  hauls  apples  to  Peoria  or  St.  Louis. 


FIG.  16. — FROM  BARGE  TO  REFRIGERATOR  CARS  AT  EAST  HARDIN 
The  barrels  of  apples  are  being  rolled  on  a  skid  directly  from  the  transfer 
barge  to  the  refrigerator  car.  The  transfer  company  does  the  loading. 


Possibility  of  a  Railroad  in  Calhoun  County 

The  construction  of  a  railroad  running  thru  Calhoun  county  from 
north  to  south  has  been  projected  and  a  right  of  way  over  a  large  part 
of  the  distance  has  been  acquired.  The  completion  of  such  a  railroad 
would  connect  this  apple  region  with  Quincy  on  the  north  and  St.  Louis 
on  the  south  and  entirely  change  the  situation  in  reference  to  rail 
transportation. 


1928} 


MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES 


591 


MOTOR  TRUCKS  HAUL  MANY  APPLES  TO  MARKET 


Motor  trucks  are  becoming  more  and  more  important  in  the 
transportation  of  apples  from  Calhoun  county  to  market.  For  several 
years  it  has  been  customary  to  haul  considerable  quantities  of  the 
early  varieties  and  early  pickings  of  Grimes  and  Jonathans  packed 
in  baskets  directly  from  the  orchards  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
county  to  the  stores  of  dealers  in  St.  Louis.  Bulk  apples  have  also 
been  trucked  from  the  same  area  to  St.  Louis  and  surrounding  towns. 

Some  growers  do  their  own  trucking,  but  there  are  now  owners  of 
commercially  operated  trucks  who  make  a  regular  business  of  hauling 


FIG.  17. — BASKETS  OF  APPLES  LOADED  FROM  TRUCK  INTO  REFRIGERATOR 
CARS  AT  EAST  HARDIN 

The  trucks  are  ferried  across  the  river.  Some  growers  prefer  this  method  to 
transfer  by  barge,  since  it  involves  less  handling  of  the  fruit  and  less  delay  in 
loading. 


apples  to  St.  Louis.  In  either  case  the  apples  are  loaded  into  the  truck 
at  the  orchard  and  delivered  at  any  dealer's  store  or  any  cold  storage 
plant  in  St.  Louis  without  rehandling.  The  trucks  cross  the  Mississippi 
river  by  ferry  at  Golden  Eagle.  There  are  two  ferries  operating  at 
this  point.  Each  is  capable  of  carrying  five  or  six  good-sized  trucks. 
Most  of  the  trip  from  the  ferry  to  St.  Louis  (a  distance  of  38  miles), 
via  St.  Charles,  Missouri,  is  over  gravel  or  concrete  roads,  tho  there 
are  three  or  four  miles  of  road  that  are  in  poor  condition  in  wet 
weather.  Under  normal  conditions  a  truck  can  make  the  trip  from 
the  ferry  to  St.  Louis  in  about  two  hours.  A  common  load  for  a  one- 
ton  truck  is  45  bushel  baskets.  Some  of  the  larger  trucks  haul  more 
than  100  baskets.  Few,  if  any,  apples  in  barrels  have  been  hauled 
to  St  Louis  by  truck.  Commercial  trucking  companies  in  1927  charged 
25  cents  a  bushel  basket  for  hauling  apples  from  the  orchards  around 
Brussels,  Batehtown,  and  Golden  Eagle  to  any  point  in  St.  Louis.  In 
1926,  80,000  bushels  of  apples  in  trucks  crossed  the  river  by  ferry  at 


592 


BULLETIN  No.  312 


[June, 


Golden  Eagle.    In  1927,  when  the  crop  was  light,  there  were  105,000 
bushels. 

After  the  close  of  the  apple  harvest  in  1927  the  concrete  road 
from  East  Hardin  to  Jerseyville  was  completed.  This  affords  thru 
connections  over  hard  roads  all  the  way  from  East  Hardin  to  St.  Louis 
via  Jerseyville  and  Alton.  The  distance  is  68  miles.  Undoubtedly 
considerable  volumes  of  fruit  from  the  territory  near  Hardin  and  along 
the  concrete  highway  between  Hardin  and  Kampsville  will  be  moved 
to  St.  Louis  by  truck  during  the  next  apple  harvest.  This  new  road 
not  only  makes  the  St.  Louis  market  readily  accessible  by  truck  from 
the  eastern  part  of  Calhoun  county,  but  also  makes  it  possible  to 


FIG.  18. — CIDER  MILL  NEAR  HARDIN 

In  1927  about  8  percent  of  the  apple  crop  of  Calhoun  county  was  made  into 
cider.  This  was  used  mostly  by  pickle  companies  for  making  vinegar,  and  was 
shipped  out  largely  in  tank  boats. 


reach  a  number  of  well-populated  industrial  communities  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  East  St.  Louis.  It  has  been  estimated  that  the  combined  popu- 
lation of  these  industrial  centers  is  more  than  160,000,  thus  affording 
a  potential  market  for  many  apples. 

The  quantities  of  apples  shipped  from  Calhoun  county  in  1927 
by  the  various  means  of  transportation  are  given  in  Table  11.  Thirty- 
eight  percent  of  the  crop  was  shipped  by  rail,  30.5  percent  by  river 
packet,  and  nearly  23  percent  by  truck.  In  addition,  more  than  8 
percent  was  shipped  out  in  the  form  of  cider,  mostly  by  river  boat. 

TABLE  11. — TOTAL  APPLE  SHIPMENTS  FROM  CALHOUN  COUNTY,  1927 


Barrels1 

Percent  of  total 

By  packet,  on  rivers  

73  434 

1     .    30.5 

By  rail  

91  528 

38.1 

By  truck,  via  ferry  

55  167 

22.9 

As  cider*  

20  013 

8.3 

Total  

240  142 

99.8 

'Including  baskets  and  boxes  calculated  as  3  to  the  barrel. 
Calculated  on  the  basis  of  1  barrel  of  apples  to  10.7  gallons  of  cider. 


1928]  MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES  593 

STORAGE  FACILITIES  ACCESSIBLE 

There  are  no  cold-storage  facilities  in  Calhoim  county.  A  few 
growers  have  dry  storage  houses  in  which  they  place  a  small  portion 
of  their  crops.  Fruit  held  in  these  houses  until  spring  is  usually  quite 
ripe  and  will  not  long  remain  firm  when  taken  from  storage.  It  must 
be  handled  rapidly  and  usually  sells  at  a  discount  because  it  must 
compete  on  the  market  with  sound  fruit  from  cold  storage.  This  sit- 
uation has  led  to  some  discussion  regarding  the  feasibility  of  erecting 
cold-storage  warehouses  especially  for  handling  apples  produced  in 
Calhoun  county. 

Altho  there  are  no  cold-storage  plants  in  the  county,  ample  facili- 
ties for  storing  Calhoun  county  apples  are  available.  In  St.  Louis 
alone  there  are  seven  storage  plants  having  a  total  apple  capacity  of 
approximately  460,000  barrels  (Table  12). 


TABLE  12. — COLD  STORAGE  SPACE  FOR  APPLES  NEAR 
CALHOUN  COUNTY 

City  Capacityi 


St.  Louis 

Hannibal 

Louisiana,  Missouri. 
Peoria . 


Total. 


bbls. 

462  000 
76  000 
35  000 
30  000 

603  000 


'As  reported  by  cold  storage  companies,  or  calculated  on  basis  of 
160  barrels  to  a  carload,  or  8  cubic  feet  of  space  for  a  barrel. 


Hannibal  and  Louisiana,  Missouri,  are  readily  accessible  by  boat 
from  Calhoun  county  and  can  also  be  reached  by  rail  if  the  apples 
are  loaded  at  Clarksville  after  being  transferred  by  barge  from  Ham- 
burg. These  towns  have  considerable  storage  space  and  good  rail 
connections  for  shipping  apples  from  storage  to  various  markets. 
Peoria,  accessible  by  boat  or  rail,  is  an  important  distributing  point 
and  a  logical  place  to  store  apples  for  shipment  to  markets  farther 
east.  The  storage  capacity  in  Peoria  available  for  apples  is  about 
30,000  barrels  (Table  12).  Quincy  is  another  point  at  which  apples 
from  Calhoun  county  might  be  stored. 

The  quantities  of  apples  stored  in  St.  Louis  the  past  three  seasons 
have  been:  for  1925,  252,668  barrels;  1926,  179,893  barrels;  and  1927, 
179,712  barrels  (Table  13).  Of  these,  169,961,  114,356,  and  39,664 
barrels  respectively  for  the  three  seasons  were  from  Calhoun  county. 
The  St.  Louis  storage  of  Calhoun  county  apples  represented  37.6,  28.5, 
and  16.5  percent  respectively  of  the  crop  for  these  three  years.  There 
is  ample  storage  space  in  St.  Louis  for  many  more  apples  from  Cal- 
houn county  than  have  been  stored  there  the  past  three  seasons. 


594 


BULLETIN  No.  312 


[June, 


In  view  of  the  storage  space  available  for  apples  in  St.  Louis, 
Hannibal,  Louisiana,  and  Peoria,  not  to  mention  Chicago  and  other 
distributing  markets,  there  would  seem  to  be  no  adequate  reason  for 
the  erection  of  cold-storage  plants  in  Calhoun  county.  Such  plants 


FIG.  19. — UNLOADING  APPLES  FROM  WAGON  INTO  WAREHOUSE  AT  HAMBURG 
By  the  use  of  a  skid  one  man  handles  the  barrels  with  ease.   In  hauling  the 

apples  over  the  hilly  roads,  brakes  are  used  on  the  wagons  and  the  load  is  roped 

to  hold  it  in  place. 

would  be  expensive  to  build  and  operate,  and  there  would  be  no  reve- 
nue from  the  storage  of  products  other  than  apples  during  the  summer 
season  as  is  possible  in  storage  plants  in  large  cities.  At  no  point  in 
the  county  could  apples  be  loaded  from  a  storage  plant  directly  into 

TABLE  13. — QUANTITIES  OF  APPLES  STORED  IN  ST.  Louis,  1925,  1926,  AND  19271 


Storage 
package  and 
year 

Volume  of  apples 
stored  in  St. 
Louis 

Calhoun  county  apples  stored  in 
St.  Louis 

Percentage  of 
Calhoun  county 
apples  stored  in 
grower's  name 

Volume 

Percentage  of 
total  stored  in 
St.  Louis 

Barrels 
1925  

162  004 

116  585 
27  069 

51  237 
27  915 
182  938 

220  756 
162  009 
275  992 

252  668 
179  893 
179  712 

145  615 

107  848 
25  196 

17  002 
13  204 
32  454 

6  868 
6  321 
10  951 

169  961 
114  356 
39  664 

89.9 
92.5 
93.1 

33.2 
47.3 
17.75 

3.1 
3.9 
3.97 

67.3 
63.6 
22.1 

9.08 
13.57 
9.8 

28.7 
26.45 
39.0 

99.2 
100 
100 

10.05 
15.77 
26.05 

1926  

1927  

Baskets 
1925  

1926  

1927.  .  . 

Boxes 
1925.  .  .    . 

1926  

1927  

Total  as  barrels.  . 
1925  

1926   .  . 

1927  

'Compiled  from  data  furnished  by  the  cold-storage  companies.     Storage  space  available  in  St. 
Louis,  462,000  barrels. 


1928]  MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES  595 

refrigerator  cars,  and  river  transportation  to  market  is  not  available 
in  winter.  If  a  cold-storage  plant  were  erected  at  East  Hardin,  just 
outside  the  county,  the  loading  of  cars  could  readily  be  handled  in 
winter,  but  the  lack  of  summer  revenue  would  be  a  serious  obstacle  to 
the  profitable  operation  of  such  a  plant;  and  in  years  of  light  crop  in 
Calhoun  county  even  the  winter  revenue  would  be  reduced  since  the 
location  is  not  favorable  for  shipping  in  apples  from  other  regions  for 
storage  purposes. 

METHODS  OF  SALE 

Calhoun  county  apple  growers  have  used  a  number  of  different 
methods  of  selling  their  fruit.  Considerable  quantities  of  the  apples 
usually  are  sold  long  before  the  harvest.  Other  quantities  are  sold  at 
harvest  time  but  before  the  fruit  is  shipped.  Much  fruit  is  shipped 
on  consignment  to  large  markets.  Smaller  quantities  have  been  sold 
thru  brokers  or  stored  by  the  growers  and  later  sold.  Numerous 
variations  of  these  methods  have  been  widely  used  from  time  to  time, 
and  the  quantities  sold  in  the  various  ways  have  varied  considerably 
from  year  to  year. 

Pre-Harvest  Contracts 

It  has  been  a  common  practice  for  apple  buyers  to  come  to  Cal- 
houn county  in  June,  July,  or  August,  and  begin  operations  for  the 
season.  These  buyers  usually  represent  large  produce  firms  in  impor- 
tant markets.  A  buyer  visits  a  number  of  orchards  inspecting  the 
fruit  and  estimating  the  crop.  He  then  bargains  with  the  owner  of 
any  orchard  that  interests  him  and  they  attempt  to  reach  an  agree- 
ment as  to  price  and  method  of  selling.  If  an  agreement  is  reached, 
a  contract  is  usually  drawn  up  stating  the  price  to  be  paid,  basis  of 
grading,  and  other  points  of  importance.  In  some  cases,  however, 
such  transactions  take  place  without  a  written  contract  being  signed. 
The  buyer  usually  pays  the  grower  a  part  of  the  purchase  price  at 
the  time  the  contract  is  made  and  agrees  to  pay  the  balance  when  the 
fruit  is  shipped. 

The  buyer  may  pay  a  lump  sum  for  the  entire  crop  on  the  trees. 
The  fruit  then  becomes  his  property  and  he  assumes  all  risks  due  to 
adverse  weather  conditions  or  possible  insect  and  disease  damage.  The 
buyer  makes  all  arrangements  for  handling  the  crop  and  pays  all  ex- 
penses of  these  operations.  He  may  hire  the  grower  to  harvest,  pack, 
and  haul  the  crop  at  a  stated  rate  per  barrel  or  he  may  handle  the 
crop  with  his  own  crews. 

Some  buyers  are  unable  to  estimate  accurately  the  size  of  a  crop 
on  the  trees  before  harvest  time.  During  some  years  adverse  weather 
conditions  have  caused  large  quantities  of  fruit  to  be  lost  before  it 
could  be  picked  and  packed.  Often  the  buyer  does  not  wish  to  assume 
the  risks  that  must  be  borne  when  a  crop  is  bought  on  the  trees  several 


596  BULLETIN  No.  312  [June, 

weeks  before  the  harvest.  In  such  cases  the  buyer  agrees  to  pay  a 
stated  price  for  the  crop  packed  and  delivered  at  the  loading  point. 
A  flat  price  per  package  is  usually  paid  for  both  No.  1  and  No.  2  fruit, 
and  the  grade  specifications  are  stipulated  by  the  buyer.  Such  a  price 
is  made  as  will  allow  a  fair  return  for  the  costs  of  harvesting,  packing, 
and  hauling  to  the  loading  point  in  addition  to  the  price  for  the  fruit. 
Under  such  an  agreement  the  buyer  may  purchase  the  grower's  entire 
crop  or  he  may  buy  only  certain  varieties.  When  only  certain  varieties 
are  bought,  the  buyer  may  arrange  to  have  the  remainder  of  the 
grower's  crop  handled  by  his  company  for  the  grower's  account.  Con- 
tracts in  which  the  crop  is  bought  at  a  definite  rate  per  barrel  are 
usually  written,  and  the  grade  specifications  under  which  the  fruit  is 
to  be  packed  are  included.  Here  also  the  buyer  usually  advances  the 
grower  a  part  of  the  money  when  the  contract  is  signed  and  agrees  to 
pay  the  balance  when  the  fruit  is  delivered  for  shipment.  When  this 
method  of  sale  is  employed,  the  grower  does  all  of  the  harvesting, 
packing,  and  hauling.  The  buyer,  however,  usually  visits  the  orchard 
once  or  twice  each  day  to  see  that  the  grading  is  being  done  according 
to  specifications  and  that  the  fruit  is  properly  packed. 

Sometimes  a  buyer  does  not  begin  his  operations  until  harvest 
time.  In  such  cases  he  may  go  into  orchards  where  the  growers  have 
not  yet  sold  their  crops.  If  the  quality  and  condition  of  the  fruit 
being  packed  is  satisfactory  to  him,  he  attempts  to  buy  it.  If  a  sale 
is  made,  the  price  agreed  upon  usually  applies  to  the  fruit  delivered 
at  the  loading  point. 

The  buyer,  instead  of  visiting  the  orchards,  may  work  at  the 
loading  points  (usually  boat  landings)  and  there  inspect  various  lots 
of  fruit  as  they  are  hauled  in  from  the  orchards.  He  then  attempts 
to  buy  those  lots  which  seem  desirable  to  him. 

Consignments  to  Commission  Merchants 

Most  of  the  fruit  not  bought  up  by  apple  dealers  is  shipped  on 
consignment  to  commission  merchants  in  the  larger  markets.  This  is 
the  most  widely  used  method  of  selling  Calhoun  county  apples.  Altho 
some  consigned  fruit  is  sent  to  Chicago  and  other  markets,  by  far  the 
largest  part  of  such  fruit  is  shipped  by  boat  to  St.  Louis  and  is  there 
sold  in  the  apple  sales  that  are  held  on  the  levee  nearly  every  day 
during  the  shipping  season. 

Some  growers  in  Calhoun  county  have  used  this  method  regularly 
and  have  shipped  consistently  year  after  year  to  one  or  two  repre- 
sentatives in  this  market.  Others  have  consigned  consistently  to  St. 
Louis  but  have  not  formed  any  permanent  market  connections  there. 
These  growers  ship  first  to  one  dealer  and  then  to  another,  their  choice 
depending  upon  how  satisfactory  the  preceding  returns  have  been. 
Sometimes  growers  divide  shipments  among  several  different  dealers 
and  send  later  shipments  to  the  one  who  makes  the  most  satisfactory 


1928] 


MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES 


597 


returns.  Other  growers  ship  on  consignment  only  when  they  have 
been  unable  to  interest  buyers  in  their  fruit  or  when  they  and  the 
buyers  have  been  unable  to  agree  upon  a  price.  These  growers  usually 
have  no  regular  market  representative,  and  consequently  their  fruit 
has  little  standing  on  the  market. 

The  Levee  Sale  at  St.  Louis 

An  auction  sale  of  apples  takes  place  on  the  levee  at  St.  Louis 
whenever  the  boats  bring  down  enough  fruit  to  justify  a  sale.  The 
sales  usually  begin  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  or  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  fruit  has  been  piled  in  lots  that  are 
numbered.  Each  commission  merchant  receives  from  the  boat  clerk 
a  list  of  the  lots  consigned  to  him.  When  the  time  for  the  sale  arrives, 


FIG.  20. — BARRELS  OF  APPLES  ON  LEVEE  AT  ST.  Louis 

The  apples  are  brought  by  boat  from  Calhoun  county  and  piled  up  on  the 
levee  in  readiness  for  the  auction  sales  which  take  place  nearly  every  day  during 
the  apple  harvest. 

the  commission  merchant  opens  one  or  two  packages  of  a  lot  of  apples 
and  invites  prospective  buyers  to  examine  them.  He  then  passes  slips 
of  paper  to  those  who  wish  to  bid  on  the  lot.  The  bids  are  written  on 
the  slips  of  paper  and  handed  to  the  dealer  selling  the  fruit.  He  ex- 
amines the  bids,  tears  up  all  the  slips  except  the  one  containing  the 
highest  bid,  and  announces  the  successful  bidder.  A  sales  ticket  is 
then  made  out  for  the  lot  and  the  buyer  arranges  for  the  disposition 
of  his  purchase.  This  process  is  repeated  by  the  different  commission 
merchants  having  fruit  to  sell  until  all  of  the  lots  are  disposed  of  or 
until  the  buyers  leave.  Frequently  large  quantities  of  apples  cannot 
be  disposed  of  at  one  sale.  Those  not  sold  then  are  held  over  until 
the  next  sale  which  usually  takes  place  that  afternoon  or  the  next 
day.  The  commission  charged  for  making  sales  on  the  levee  is  10 
percent. 


598  BULLETIN  No.  312  [June, 

Sometimes  a  prospective  buyer  sees  a  lot  of  apples  which  he  is 
particularly  anxious  to  obtain.  He  may,  in  that  case,  arrange  to 
inspect  them  and  to  have  the  commission  merchant  set  a  price  on  the 
lot.  If  the  price  is  agreeable,  he  may  buy  the  fruit  without  bidding 
for  it.  This  is  more  often  done  with  highly  desirable  lots  of  apples 
than  with  fruit  of  ordinary  grade  and  pack,  and  the  resulting  price  is 
correspondingly  greater.  When  a  lot  of  apples  is  offered  for  sale  and 
bids  are  solicited,  the  usual  custom  is  for  the  highest  bidder  to  be 
given  that  lot  of  apples  at  the  figure  he  bids.  The  salesman  may, 
however,  announce  before  the  bidding  begins  that  if  the  price  is  not 
satisfactory  he  reserves  the  right  to  withdraw  the  lot  from  sale.  This 
is  seldom  done  except  with  high-grade  fruit  in  good  condition  for 
storing  and  then  only  when  the  commission  merchant  has  some  such 
agreement  with  the  shipper.  Fruit  that  is  only  fair  in  quality  or  con- 
dition is  usually  sold  for  what  it  will  bring  because  storage  of  such 
fruit  is  seldom  profitable. 

When  supplies  are  heavy  and  demand  slow,  any  market  is  usually 
dull.  The  market  at  the  levee  is  not  exempt  from  this  condition.  At 
such  times  it  is  very  difficult  to  get  satisfactory  prices  for  the  best  of 
fruit,  and  off-grade  fruit  in  poor  condition  sells  for  very  little.  The 
grower  who  ships  poorly  graded  fruit  that  is  also  in  poor  condition, 
is  greatly  handicapped  when  his  product  strikes  such  a  market  because 
it  cannot  be  stored  with  any  assurance  of  profit  and  because  its  value 
on  such  a  market  is  extremely  low.  Likewise  a  shipper  shipping  to 
a  dealer  with  whom  he  has  no  well-established  connections  and  no 
agreement  to  cover  such  circumstances,  is  likely  to  find  his  fruit  being 
sold  at  a  low  price  because  his  representative  has  no  authority  to  store 
it  when  unable  to  make  a  satisfactory  immediate  sale. 

This  apple  sale  on  the  levee  often  has  been  condemned  as  detri- 
mental to  the  interests  of  Calhoun  county  growers.  It  undoubtedly 
has  its  faults.  However,  it  performs  a  distinct  service  in  evaluating 
and  disposing  of  numerous  small  lots  of  apples  of  every  grade,  condi- 
tion, and  description. 

Brokerage  Sales  a  Factor  in  1927 

Recently  some  fruit  from  Calhoun  county  has  been  sold  on  a 
brokerage  basis.  Part  of  this  fruit  was  sold  at  harvest  time  and  part 
was  stored  for  selling  later  in  the  season.  The  growers  who  arranged 
to  have  their  fruit  handled  in  this  way  designated  whether  they  wished 
it  sold  at  once  or  stored.  The  time  of  selling  from  storage  was 
left  to  the  discretion  of  the  broker.  In  general  the  selling  was  dis- 
tributed thru  the  whole  storage  season.  The  freight  from  the  shipping 
point  to  the  storage  house  was  paid  by  the  broker  and  deducted  from 
the  sales  along  with  storage  and  brokerage  charges  when  returns  were 
made.  The  brokerage  charge  was  a  flat  rate  per  package  regardless  of 
the  selling  price  of  the  fruit. 


1928}  MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES  599 

Merits  of  Different  Methods 

Each  of  the  various  methods  of  marketing  has  its  merits.  Selling 
to  a  reliable  dealer  for  a  lump  sum  in  advance  of  the  harvest  relieves 
the  grower  of  all  risks  due  to  subsequent  storms,  insect  invasions,  and 
market  fluctuations  and  gives  him  money  to  pay  operating  expense. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  assumption  of  these  risks  by  the  dealer  is  pre- 
sumably covered  by  his  margin  in  price. 

If  the  apples  are  sold  at  an  agreed  price  per  barrel  in  advance  of 
the  harvest,  the  grower  assumes  the  risk  of  loss  by  storms  and  the 
buyer  the  risk  of  price  fluctuation.  In  this  case  the  risks  are  divided 
between  the  grower  and  the  buyer.  Waiting  for  buyers  to  appear  at 
the  orchard  or  river  bank  during  the  harvest  is  probably  the  most 
undesirable  way  of  marketing.  The  expected  buyers  may  fail  to  come. 
In  such  cases  shipments  are  delayed,  transportation  facilities  con- 
gested, and  ultimate  consignment  often  the  only  recourse. 

When  apples  are  shipped  on  consignment,  the  grower  assumes  all 
risks  and  expenses  until  the  goods  are  actually  sold,  but  on  the  other 
hand  receives  the  benefit  of  any  favorable  changes  in  market  values 
from  day  to  day.  Brokerage  sales  are  associated  with  wider  distribu- 
tion of  the  fruit,  as  to  time  and  place,  and  lower  selling  costs  than  the 
charge  for  commission  sales,  especially  when  market  values  are  high. 

STORING  FOR  LATER  SALE 

Some  years  considerable  quantities  of  fruit  have  been  placed  in 
cold  storage  by  the  growers.  Some  growers  store  fruit  every  year.  In 
many  cases,  however,  they  store  only  when  the  price  offered  by  buyers 
does  not  seem  satisfactory  to  them  or  when  the  market  price  for  fruit 
at  harvest  time  is  low.  In  years  of  good  prices  at  harvest  time  the 
amount  of  fruit  stored  by  the  growers  is  likely  to  be  small. 

At  best  apple  storage  must  be  considered  a  speculative  enter- 
prise. Low  prices  at  harvest  time  may  be  due  to  a  large  crop  of 
apples  in  the  country  as  a  whole,  business  depression  thruout  the 
country,  large  crops  of  other  fruits  that  compete  with  the  apple,  or 
to  combinations  of  these  and  other  factors.  Under  such  circumstances 
increases  in  the  price  of  apples  during  storage  may  or  may  not  be 
sufficient  to  cover  the  costs  of  storage  and  the  risks  involved.  It  is 
usually  difficult  to  predict  with  accuracy  the  future  trend  of  the  mar- 
ket. Most  growers  do  not  have  access  to  enough  reliable  information 
concerning  supplies  of  apples  and  competing  fruits  and  concerning  the 
other  factors  influencing  the  price  at  harvest  time  to  judge  accurately 
the  price  that  may  be  offered  for  stored  fruit.  Sometimes  men  expe- 
rienced in  fruit  marketing  who  have  all  available  information  are 
unable  accurately  to  judge  the  situation. 


600 


BULLETIN  No.  312 


[June, 


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1928] 


MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES 


601 


Study  of  Apple  Prices 

Changes  in  prices  of  apples  that  have  occurred  between  the  time 
of  harvest  and  the  end  of  the  storage  season  each  year  from  1920  to 
1927  are  illustrated  in  Table  14.  The  average  monthly  prices  of  bar- 
reled Jonathan,  Winesap,  Ben  Davis,  and  Willow  Twig  apples  on  the 
St.  Louis  market,  as  given  in  this  table,  were  calculated  from  data 
secured  from  the  St.  Louis  Daily  Market  Reporter.  To  expedite  the 

TABLE  15. — PRICES  OF  APPLES  AT  HARVEST  TIME  AND 
FROM  STORAGE  IN  ST.  Louis,  1920-1927 


Variety  of  apple  and  year 

Harvest 
price    ' 

Average 
price  from 
storage 

Costs  of  storage  and 
interest 

Margin 

Jonathan 
1920-21  

Sept. 
$5.84 
3.60 
4.29 
5.14 
4.54 
3.03 
6.20 
4.66 

Oct.-Nov. 
5.15 
3.49 
3.98 
5.95 
4.21 
2.83 
4.521 
4.27 

Oct-.Nov. 
3.68 
2.25 
2.38 
3.61 
3.10 
2.29 
4.27 
3.08 

Oct.-Nov. 
5.22 
3.48 
4.29 
5.65 
3.88 
2.88 
5.51 
4.41 

Dec.-Feb. 
$7.39 
4.58 
4.37 
8.56 
3.35 
4.10 
5.94 
5.47 

Jan.  -Apr. 
7.25 
5.56 
4.15 
8.59 
4.63 
4.18 
(') 
5.73 

Feb.-May 
5.32 
4.08 
2.94 
5.47 
3.08 
3.57 
6.31 
4.40 

Feb.-May 
7.03 
6.02 
4.49 
8.53 
4.76 
5.05 
7.91 
6.26 

$.70  +  .12  = 
.70  +  .08  = 
.70  +  .09  = 
.70  +  .11  = 
.70  +  .10  = 
.70  +  .07  = 
.70  +  .13  = 
.70  +  .10  = 

.70  +  .11  = 
.70  +  .07  = 
.70  +  .08  = 
.70  +  .12  = 
.70  +  .09  = 
.70  +  .06  = 

.70  +  .09  = 

.80  +  .10  = 
.80  +  .06  = 
.80  +  .06  = 
.80  +  .09  = 
.80  +  .08  = 
.80  +  .06  = 
.80  +  .11  = 
.80  +  .08  = 

.80  +  .13  = 
.80  +  .09  = 
.80  +  .12  = 
.80  +  .15  - 
.80  +  .10  = 
.80  +  .08  = 
.80  +  .14  = 
.80  +  .12  = 

.82 
.78 
.79 
.81 
.80 
.77 
.83 
.80 

.81 
.77 
.78 
.82 
.79 
.76 

.79 

.90 
.86 
.86 
.89 
.88 
.86 
.91 
.88 

.93 
.89 
.92 
.95 
.90 
.88 
.94 
.92 

$       .73 

.20 
-   .71 
2.61 
-1.99 
.30 
-1.09 
.01 

1.29 
1.30 
-   .61 
1.82 
-    .37 
.59 

.67 

.74 
.93 
-    .30 
.97 
-    .90 
.42 
1.14 
.44 

.88 
1.65 
-    .72 
1.93 
-    .02 
1.29 
1.18 
.90 

1922-23  

1923-24   

1924-25  

1925-26  

1926-27.  ... 

1927-28  

Average  

Winesap 
1920-21  

1922-23  

1923-24  

1924-25   .  . 

1925-26  

1926-27  

1927-28  

Ben  Daris 
1920-21  

1922-23  

1923-24   .  . 

1924-25  

1925-26  

1926-27    .  . 

1927-28  

Average  

Willow  Twig 
1920-21  

1922-23  

1923-24  

1924-25  

1925-26  

1926-27  

1927-28  

Average  

JXot  included  in  the  average  below. 
November  on  account  of  crop  shortage. 


JXo  quotations  on  barreled  Winesaps  in  St.  Louis  after 


compiling  of  the  records,  quotations  for  every  third  day  only  were  con- 
sidered. This  usually  resulted  in  nine  quotations  for  the  month.  To 
test  the  accuracy  of  this  method  the  monthly  averages  thus  secured 
for  the  season  of  1926-1927  were  compared  with  the  monthly  averages 
based  on  daily  quotations  for  the  same  season.  In  most  cases  the  dif- 
ference in  the  monthly  averages  obtained  by  the  two  methods  were 
from  2  to  4  cents  a  barrel,  the  maximum  difference  being  11  cents  for 
one  variety  one  month.  Some  months  one  method  gave  the  higher 


602  BULLETIN  No.  312  [June, 

average  and  in  other  months  the  other  method.  Thus  the  variations 
from  month  to  month  practically  balanced  one  another,  so  that  there 
were  no  essential  differences  in  the  averages  obtained  by  the  two 
methods.  The  quotation  used  each  day  was  the  average  between  the 
high  and  the  low  quotation  for  No.  1  fruit  in  good  condition  as  given 
in  the  Market  Reporter.  St.  Louis  quotations  on  apples  in  barrels 
refer  almost  exclusively  to  Calhoun  county  stock. 

The  prices  of  the  four  varieties  at  harvest  time,  the  average  selling 
prices  from  storage,  the  cost  of  storage  and  interest,  and  the  margin 
of  profit  or  loss  per  barrel  for  each  year  from  1920  to  1927  are  given 
in  Table  15.  These  figures  were  derived  from  the  monthly  average 
prices  given  in  Table  14.  Since  most  of  the  Calhoun  county  Jonathans 
are  harvested  in  September,  the  September  average  was  taken  as  the 
harvest  price.  The  harvest  period  for  Winesap,  Ben  Davis,  and  Wil- 
low Twig  apples  extends  thru  October  and  November.  Some  seasons 
the  Winesap  harvest  especially  may  be  nearly  completed  in  October, 
but  other  years  it  extends  well  into  November.  The  average  prices  for 
October  and  November  have  therefore  been  taken  to  represent  the 
harvest  prices  for  these  three  varieties. 

The  market  reports  from  which  these  price  quotations  were  de- 
rived indicate  that  most  of  the  barreled  Jonathans  stored  in  St.  Louis 
were  marketed  in  December,  January,  and  February,  and  most  of 
the  Winesaps  in  January,  February,  March,  and  April,  while  most  of 
the  Ben  Davis  and  Willow  Twigs  taken  from  storage  were  sold  in 
February,  March,  April,  and  May.  The  average  prices  for  these 
periods  have  therefore  been  taken  as  representative  of  the  prices 
received  for  stored  apples  of  the  respective  varieties. 

Storage  rates  in  St.  Louis  were  reported  as  60  to  70  cents  a  barrel 
for  the  season  ending  April  1,  with  an  additional  charge  of  10  cents 
for  each  month  or  fraction  of  a  month  thereafter.  On  this  basis  the 
average  storage  charge  for  Jonathans  and  Winesaps  has  been  figured 
at  70  cents  a  barrel  and  the  average  charge  for  Ben  Davis  and  Willow 
Twigs  at  80  cents  a  barrel.  Interest  has  been  figured  at  the  rate  of 
6  percent  a  year  on  the  average  price  at  harvest  time,  beginning  at 
the  middle  of  the  harvest  period  for  the  respective  varieties  and  ending 
at  the  middle  of  the  period  for  sales  from  storage  as  indicated  above. 

Margins  Between  Harvest  and  Storage  Sales 

During  the  period  covered  by  these  figures  there  were  substantial 
margins  above  actual  carrying  charges  on  the  three  late  winter  vari- 
eties every  year  except  two,  and  the  average  margin  per  year,  including 
the  two  years  of  losses,  was  44  cents,  67  cents,  and  90  cents  a  barrel 
for  Ben  Davis,  Winesaps,  and  Willow  Twigs  respectively.  In  the  case 
of  Jonathans  there  were  substantial  margins 'two  years  out  of  seven, 
small  margins  two  years,  and  serious  losses  three  years.  The  average 


MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES 


603 


Price  per 
Barrel 
*9M 

850 
8.00 
750 
700 
650 
600 
550 
500 
450 
400 
550 
300 

Z50 
225 

Millions 
Of 
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1020           1921            mi          1925           1924         1925          1926          1927 

FIG.  21. — PRICES  OF  CALHOUN  COUNTY  JONATHANS  AT  HARVEST  AND  FROM  STORAGE, 

SHOWING  RELATION  OF  PRICES  TO  VOLUME  OF  UNITED  STATES 

COMMERCIAL  APPLE  CROP 


Price  per 
Borrel 
*900 

«50 

aoo 

750 
700 
650 
6.00 
550 
500 
450 
400 
550 
3.00 

250 
225 

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Barrels 

41 
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35 
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Price  from  storage 
Volume  U.S.  Commerc 
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for  other  markets  1 
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1920           1921           1922          1925           1924          1925          1926          1927 

FIG.  22. — PRICES  OF  CALHOUN  COUNTY  WINESAPS  AT  HARVEST  AND  FROM  STORAGE, 

SHOWING  RELATION  OF  PRICES  TO  VOLUME  OF  UNITED  STATES 

COMMERCIAL  APPLE  CROP 


margin  for  the  seven-year  period  was  only  one  cent  a  barrel.  This 
does  not  take  into  account  any  shrinkage,  expense  of  repacking, 
other  extra  charges,  or  compensation  for  the  assumption  of  risks  in- 
volved. The  loss  on  Jonathans  in  1927-28  when  Ben  Davis  and  Wil- 


604 


BULLETIN  No.  312 


[June, 


Price  per 
Barrel 
*900  . 

Miiiiona 
of 
Borrelj 

4\ 
39 
37 
35 
35 
31 
29 
27 
25 
23 
21 

450 

Price  at 

harvest    time 

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—  Price  from  storage 
-  Volume  US.  Commercial  apple 
-  Price  calculated   from  data 
other  morKets  in  1921 

750. 

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FIG.  23. — PRICES  OF  CALHOUN  COUNTY  BEN  DAVIS  APPLES  AT  HARVEST  AND  FROM 

STORAGE,  SHOWING  RELATION  OF  PRICES  TO  VOLUME  OF  UNITED  STATES 

COMMERCL\L  APPLE  CROP 


Price  per 
Barrel 
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850 

aoo 

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650 
600 

550 
500 
450 
400 
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FIG.  24. — PRICES  OF  CALHOUN  COUNTY  WILLOW  TWIGS  AT  HARVEST  AND  FROM 

STORAGE,  SHOWING  RELATION  OF  PRICES  TO  VOLUME  OF  UNITED  STATES 

COMMERCIAL  APPLE  CROP 


low  Twigs  showed  a  profit,  wyas  due  partly  to  the  heavy  crop  of  Jon- 
athans in  the  country  as  a  whole  and  the  poor  keeping  quality  of  some 
of  the  Jonathans  from  other  regions.  The  Jonathans  showed  a  wider 
range  in  selling  price  out  of  storage  from  year  to  year  than  any  of  the 


1928]  MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES  605 

other  three  varieties.  It  seems  evident  that  the  storage  of  Jonathans 
is  more  hazardous  than  the  storage  of  the  other  varieties  under  con- 
sideration. 

The  relation  of  harvest  prices  for  the  given  varieties  to  storage 
prices  and  to  the  volume  of  the  commercial  apple  crop1  in  the  country 
as  a  whole  is  shown  graphically  in  Figs.  21,  22,  23,  and  24.  Since 
there  were  no  quotations  on  barreled  apples  in  the  St.  Louis  Daily 
Market  Reporter  for  the  1921-22  season  due  to  crop  failure  in  Calhoun 
county,  the  prices  indicated  in  the  charts  for  that  season  have  been 
calculated  from  prices  in  other  markets.  Prices  for  the  other  years 
were  taken  from  Table  15. 

If  a  grower  were  to  store  about  the  same  quantity  of  apples  each 
year,  especially  of  the  later  keeping  varieties,  his  profits  from  storage 
in  the  more  favorable  years  would,  according  to  the  figures  given  for 
the  seven  years,  more  than  balance  the  losses  in  the  unfavorable 
years.  Furthermore,  if  a  grower  can  regularly  have  the  advice  of  an 
able  and  experienced  fruit  man  who  is  intimately  acquainted  with 
marketing  conditions  and  prospects,  his  opportunity  to  profit  from 
storage  will  be  increased. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

1.  Restrict  New  Plantings  to  Standard  Varieties. — Any  additional 
plantings  of  apples  in  Calhoun  county  should  be  restricted  to  standard 
commercial  varieties  that  are  adapted  to  the  region  and  in  good  de- 
mand on  the  markets.    This  is  in  line  with  recent  plantings  and  the 
policy  should  be  continued. 

2.  Wider  Use  of  Improved  Cultural  Methods. — The  more  general 
use  of  cultural  methods  favorable  to  the  production  of  high-grade  fruit 
should  be  encouraged.    Thoro  spraying  and  careful  pruning  are  espe- 
cially important.     If  all  orchards  in  the  county  were  given  as  good 
care  as  the  best,  the  proportion  of  high-grade  fruit  from  the  county  as 
a  whole  could  be  increased. 

3.  Adoption    of   Standardized    Grading. — Standardized    grading 
should  be  adopted  as  a  county-wide  practice.    While  there  are  different 
standards  of  grading  that  might  be  employed,  the  grade  specifications 
recommended  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  are  the  best- 
known  in  the  trade  in  this  and  other  states,  and  are  used  as  the  basis 
of  shipping-point  inspection  in  most  apple  regions  east  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.    These  specifications  are  given  on  page  611.    While  these 

'"The  commercial  apple  crops  of  the  United  States  for  the  years  under  con- 
sideration, as  given  in  government  statistics,  were  as  follows: 

Year  Barrels  Year  Barrels 

1920 33,905,000  1924 28,013,000 

1921 21,557,000  1925 33,246,000 

1922 31,945,000  1926 39,411,000 

1923 35,936,000  1927 25,900,000* 

'Subject  to  revision. 


606  BULLETIN  No.  312  [June, 

grade  specifications  may  not  seem  entirely  satisfactory  to  every 
packer,  they  are  the  only  specifications  now  applicable  to  Illinois 
apples  that  are  generally  recognized  in  the  trade,1  and  it  would  be 
much  more  satisfactory  for  all  packers  to  follow  them  than  for  each 
to  follow  his  own  inclinations  as  so  commonly  has  been  the  practice 
in  the  past.  When  all  packers  grade  according  to  the  same  standards, 
the  output  from  different  orchards  will  be  much  more  uniform.  The 
packing  of  uniform,  standardized  grades  thruout  the  county  will  do 
much  toward  enabling  Calhoun  county  to  acquire  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion as  an  apple-producing  region. 

In  packing  under  the  U.  S.  grade  specifications  it  should  be  recog- 
nized that  the  10  percentage  of  tolerance  is  allowed  merely  to  permit 
rapid  packing  on  a  commercial  basis  without  incurring  any  danger  of 
failure  to  conform  to  the  specifications.  Purposely  to  include  7  or  8 
percent  of  apples  that  are  known  to  be  below  the  requirement  is  almost 
sure  to  result  in  a  pack  that  will  exceed  the  10  percent  tolerance,  for 
in  spite  of  all  the  precautions  that  may  be  taken  a  few  defective 
specimens  will  slip  past  the  sorters.  If  each  packer  strives  to  make 
his  pack  considerably  better  than  the  minimum  requirements,  much 
more  satisfactory  packs  will  result  and  the  reputation  of  the  county 
will  be  enhanced. 

4.  More  General  Use  of  Shipping -Point  Inspection. — Much  help 
in  standardizing  the  grading  can  be  secured  from  the  use  of  shipping- 
point  inspection.    To  get  the  most  benefit  from  this  service  a  careful 
study  should  be  made  of  the  inspection  report  on  each  car  as  soon  as 
it   is    completed    and    such    changes    made    in   the    grading    of   the 
fruit  for  the  next  car  as  may  be  necessary  to  meet  the  requirements 
with  a  safe  margin  to  spare.    One  of  the  chief  advantages  of  shipping- 
point  inspection  lies  in  its  educational  value  to  the  packer.    Unless  use 
is  made  of  the  information  in  the  report  to  improve  the  subsequent 
packing  where  needed,  the  chief  value  of  the  inspection  service  is 
likely  to  be  lost.    Personal  conferences  with  the  inspector  may  be  of 
assistance  in  interpreting  the  reports  in  some  instances.    Such  confer- 
ences should  be  sought  whenever  additional  information  will  help  im- 
prove the  pack. 

5.  Greater  Care  in  Packing  Bushel  Baskets. — Special  attention 
should  be  given  to  the  packing  of  bushel  baskets  to  insure  a  heavy 
pack  that  will  not  become  slack  during  shipment  or  storage.     The 
package  must  be  thoroly  shaken  before  it  is  completely  filled.    The 
facing  layer  must  be  especially  tight  and  crowned  considerably  at  the 
center.    When  mechanical  packing  devices  are  used,  it  will  often  be 


JGrading  according  to  the  provisions  of  the  Illinois  apple  grading  and  pack- 
ing law,  passed  in  1921,  has  never  come  into  general  use,  and  these  grades  are  not 
well  known  in  the  trade. 


MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES 


607 


necessary  to  insert  a  specimen  or  two  of  fruit  in  the  facing  layer  just 
before  the  cover  is  put  in  place  in  order  to  make  sure  the  pack  is  tight. 

6.  Use  of  "Tub"  Bushels. — Fruit  packed  in  bushels  intended  for 
storage  should  be  in  "tub"  bushels  rather  than  in  round-bottom  bas- 
kets.   This  type  of  package  carries  better  in  the  car  and  stacks  better 
with  less  danger  of  crushing  in  the  storage  house.     There  are  great 
differences  in  the  strength  and  rigidity  of  packages  from  different 
factories,  and  it  is  important  that  a  good  quality  of  tub  bushel  be  used. 

7.  Use  of  Apple  Box  for  Fancy  Fruit. — The  apple  box  must  be 
used  with  discretion.     It  is  a  package  designed  primarily  for  fancy 
fruit.     To  make  an  attractive  pack  the  specimens  must  be  uniform 
in  size.    The  wrapping  of  each  apple  is  associated  with  box  packing. 
Unless  the  fruit  is  fancy  and  the  packer  is  prepared  to  attend  to  all 


FIG.  25. — PACKING  SHED  OF  FRANK  DIRKSMEYER  NEAR  HAMBURG 
This  shed  is  equipped  for  box  packing.    It  is  one  of  the  few  apple  packing 
sheds  in  Calhoun  county. 


the  niceties  involved  in  up-to-date  box  packing  as  practiced  in  the 
West,  it  is  unwise  to  attempt  this  method  of  preparing  apples  for 
market.  Under  special  conditions,  however,  a  limited  amount  of  fruit 
may  be  handled  advantageously  in  this  way. 

8.  More  Packing  Sheds. — Calhoun  county  needs  more  packing 
sheds.  Orchard  packing  is  especially  precarious  in  wet  weather.  A 
rain  lasting  only  a  few  minutes  is  sufficient  to  stop  packing  operations 
in  the  orchard  until  the  fruit  has  dried  off.  In  shed  packing  it  is 
feasible  to  have  enough  fruit  picked  ahead  to  last  the  packers  for  a 
few  hours  so  that  packing  may  continue  during  intermittent  rainfall. 
When  shed  packing  is  employed,  the  fruit  may  be  picked  slightly  wet 
if  necessary  and  allowed  to  dry  in  the  shed  before  it  is  packed.  Fur- 
thermore, in  shed  packing  the  packing  equipment,  the  supply  of  pack- 
ages, the  packed  fruit,  and  the  packing  crew  are  afforded  protection 


608  BULLETIN  No.  312  [June, 

from  unfavorable  weather.  Special  equipment  to  facilitate  grading 
and  packing  can  more  readily  be  employed  in  a  shed  than  in  the 
orchard.  The  sloping  ground  in  some  Calhoun  county  orchards  adds 
to  the  inconvenience  of  orchard  packing. 

The  use  of  packing  sheds  will  facilitate  standardized  grading  and 
reduce  packing  expense.  The  almost  universal  experience  of  people 
who  have  substituted  shed  packing  for  orchard  packing  has  been  the 
securing  of  a  better  pack  at  lower  cost.  One  of  the  Calhoun  county 
growers,  C.  L.  Tureman  of  Hardin,  kept  an  accurate  account  of  his 
costs  of  shed  packing  in  1927  and  found  that  he  saved  5  cents  a  bushel 
and  15  cents  a  barrel  as  compared  with  the  costs  of  orchard  packing 
of  his  crop  in  1926.  The  present  outlook  in  the  apple  business  over 
the  country  as  a  whole  indicates  that  for  the  next  few  years  profits 
are  likely  to  accrue  from  reductions  in  packing  and  marketing  costs 
rather  than  from  increased  prices.  Since  the  use  of  sheds  reduces  the 
expense  of  packing,  their  use  should  become  general  thruout  the  county. 

9.  Prompt  Shipment  After  Picking. — Precautions  should  be  taken 
to  insure  the  prompt  shipment  of  apples  after  they  are  picked.    The 
existing    transportation    facilities    are    adequate   to   move   the    crop 
promptly  if  they  are  utilized  to  their  full  capacity  and  the  flow  of 
apples  from  the  orchards  to  the  loading  points  is  made  as  uniform  as 
weather  conditions  will  permit. 

The  transportation  companies,  both  river  and  rail,  should  be  fully 
informed  considerably  in  advance  of  the  crop  movement  each  season 
regarding  the  approximate  volume  of  apples  that  is  likely  to  be 
shipped.  A  railroad  needs  about  30  days'  time  in  which  to  assemble 
a  supply  of  refrigerator  cars  for  use  in  a  given  region  if  the  number 
needed  is  greatly  in  excess  of  the  requirements  in  previous  years.  Op- 
erators of  transfer  barges  and  ferries  also  should  be  advised  regarding 
the  probable  crop  movement  in  plenty  of  time  to  make  any  adjust- 
ments in  equipment  that  may  be  necessary.  Full  preparations  for  the 
handling  of  the  crop  should  be  made  long  before  the  apples  mature. 

Delays  in  hauling  fruit  from  the  orchard  to  the  loading  point,  or 
in  loading  after  delivery  at  loading  point  should  be  avoided  as  much 
as  possible.  Purposely  withholding  shipment  in  the  hope  that  market 
conditions  may  improve  is  of  questionable  value.  If  fruit  is  to  be 
held  for  later  market,  it  should  be  shipped  promptly  and  placed  in 
cold  storage  rather  than  held  at  the  orchard  or  on  the  river  bank. 

10.  Better    Utilization    of    Existing    Cold-Storage    Plants. — So 
long  as  existing  cold-storage  plants  that  are  readily  accessible  from 
Calhoun  county  have  sufficient  capacity  for  handling  all  the  product, 
there  would  seem  to  be  no  adequate  reason  for  erecting  additional 
storage  plants  especially  for  the  storage  of  apples  produced  in  this 
region.    There  is  no  insurmountable  barrier  to  prompt  storage  under 
existing  conditions.     Better  utilization  of  the  present  transportation 


1928~\ 


MARKETING  CALHOUN  COUNTY  APPLES 


609 


facilities,  and  especially  better  planning  in  advance  for  the  movement 
of  the  crop,  will  make  prompt  storage  entirely  feasible. 

11.  Wider  and  More  Direct  Distribution. — Advantage  should  be 
taken  of  the  recent  improvements  in  transportation  facilities  which 
have  increased  the  number  of  markets  that  can  readily  be  reached 
with  Calhoun  county  apples  at  harvest  time.  The  new  rail  and 
hard-road  connections  have  made  it  much  easier  for  persons  inter- 
ested in  apples  to  get  into  the  county.  This  situation  should  naturally 
lead  to  a  wider  distribution  of  the  fruit  since  buyers,  brokers,  and 
dealers  from  various  markets  can  now  readily  visit  the  region,  inspect 
the  growing  crops,  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  growers,  and  become 
familiar  with  the  shipping  facilities. 


FIG.  26. — THE  MOST  PRACTICAL  WAY  OF  GETTING  INTO  CALHOUN  COUNTY 
There  is  not  a  bridge  across  either  river  into  the  county.   With  the  present 
hard  road  connections,  driving  to  the  county  by  auto  and  crossing  the  river  by 
ferry  is  the  most  expeditious  way  of  entering  this  important  apple-producing 
region. 

The  completion  of  the  hard  road  to  East  St.  Louis,  thus  connect- 
ing Calhoun  county  with  the  various  industrial  centers  in  that  part  of 
Illinois,  presents  an  opportunity  for  many  growers  to  truck  their  lower 
grades  of  fruit  in  bulk  to  these  markets  and  there  dispose  of  them  at 
reasonable  prices  and  without  excessive  marketing  expense.  Such  dis- 
position of  off-grade  fruit,  instead  of  consigning  it  to  the  St.  Louis 
market,  will  be  a  benefit  to  the  people  of  these  towns  and  will  also 
have  a  tendency  to  improve  the  conditions  in  St.  Louis  for  the  sale  of 
the  better  grades  of  fruit.  Distribution  of  apples  by  truck  to  the 
manufacturing  towns  and  trading  centers  within  hauling  distance  east 
and  southeast  of  Calhoun  county  should  become  an  important  factor 
in  the  handling  of  the  crop  now  that  hard-road  connections  have  been 
established. 

12.  Marketing  Arrangements  Before  Harvest. — Marketing  ar- 
rangements should  be  made  considerably  in  advance  of  the  crop  move- 


610  BULLETIN  No.  312  [June, 

ment  whether  the  fruit  is  to  be  handled  thru  a  buyer,  a  broker,  or  a 
commission  merchant.  It  is  a  wise  practice  for  the  grower  not  to  wait 
indefinitely  in  the  hope  that  some  buyer  may  become  particularly 
eager  to  secure  his  crop.  In  many  instances  the  grower  should  take 
the  initiative  and  personally  call  upon  the  dealer  he  has  decided  he 
would  like  to  have  handle  his  crop,  after  assuring  himself  of  the 
business  ability  and  financial  integrity  of  the  dealer  in  question.  With 
the  present  hard-road  system  it  is  not  difficult  for  a  grower  to  drive  to 
St.  Louis,  for  instance,  for  a  conference  with  a  dealer  regarding  his 
crop. 

13.  Personal  Contact  With  Marketing  Agency. — Personal  contact 
should  be  maintained  with  the  marketing  agency  thruout  the  harvest 
season.     After  business  connections  have  been  established,  there  is 
great  advantage  to  the  grower  in  keeping  his  dealer  fully  advised  from 
day  to  day  regarding  shipments  in  transit  and  in  prospect.  Telephone 
tolls  are  good  investments  when  apples  are  being  harvested.   If  goods 
are  sent  on  consignment,  it  is  especially  important  that  the  dealer 
know  exactly  what  quantities  and  grades  are  included  in  each  ship- 
ment. With  such  information  in  advance,  it  is  often  possible  for  the 
dealer  to  sell  the  apples  before  they  arrive.     This  is  especially  true 
in  the  case  of  fruit  that  is  graded  according  to  definite  standards. 

14.  Maintenance  of  Satisfactory  Connections  Once  Established. — 
There  is  much  cumulative  advantage  to  be  gained  for  both  grower  and 
dealer  by  maintenance  of  the  same  marketing  connections  year  after 
year,  after  satisfactory  contacts  have  once  been  made.     Under  such 
circumstances  it  is  possible  for  both  to  profit  from  the  reputation  es- 
tablished in  previous  years.    Especially  in  years  of  heavy  crop  is  the 
grower  with  regular  connections  and  an  established  reputation  at  a 
decided  advantage.     At  such  times  market  preference  is  a  tangible 
asset. 

Whether  the  apples  are  to  be  sold  at  harvest  time  or  stored  for 
later  sale,  there  is  the  same  advantage  in  having  established  market- 
ing connections  and  a  definite  marketing  plan. 


1928]  MARKETING  CALHOUX  COUNTY  APPLES  611 

OFFICIAL  STANDARDS  FOR  THE  INSPECTION  OF  APPLES1 

II.  S.  Fancy  shall  consist  of  apples  of  one  variety  which  are  mature  but  not 
overripe,  carefully  hand  picked,  clean,  well  formed,  free  from  decay,  broken 
skins  and  bruises  except  those  incident  to  proper  packing,  sprayburn,  stings  or 
other  insect  injury,  sunscald,  visible  watercore,  and  from  injury  by  russeting, 
limbrubs,  hail  or  mechanical  or  other  means.  Each  apple  of  this  grade  shall  have 
the  amount  of  color  specified  hereinafter  for  the  variety.  (See  size  requirements.) 

In  order  to  allow  for  variations  incident  to  proper  grading  and  handling, 
not  more  than  a  total  of  10  percent,  by  weight,  of  the  apples  in  any  lot  may  be 
below  the  requirements  of  this  grade,  but  not  to  exceed  one-half  of  this  tolerance, 
or  5  percent,  shall  be  allowed  for  defects  causing  serious  damage,  and  not  more 
than  one-fifth  of  this  amount  or  1  percent  shall  be  allowed  for  decay. 

U.  S.  No.  1  shall  consist  of  apples  of  one  variety  which  are  mature  but  not 
overripe,  carefully  hand-picked,  clean,  fairly  well  formed,  free  from  decay,  broken 
skins,  and  bruises  except  those  incident  to  proper  packing  and  damage  caused  by 
limbrubs,  sprayburn,  sunscald,  russeting,  hail,  visible  watercore,  disease,  insects  or 
mechanical  or  other  means.  Each  apple  of  this  grade  shall  have  the  amount  of 
color  specified  hereinafter  for  the  variety.  (See  size  requirements.) 

In  order  to  allow  for  variations  incident  to  proper  grading  and  handling,  not 
more  than  a  total  of  10  percent,  by  weight,  of  the  apples  in  any  lot  may  be 
below  the  requirements  of  this  grade,  but  not  more  than  one-tenth  of  this  amount 
or  1  percent  shall  be  allowed  for  decay.  [This  same  tolerance  applies  to  the  U.  S. 
Commercial  and  U.  S.  No.  2  grades.] 

U.  S.  Commercial  shall  consist  of  apples  of  one  variety  which  meet  the 
requirements  of  U.  S.  No.  1  except  as  to  color,  and  provided  further  that  early 
varieties  such  as  Duchess  of  Oldenburg,  Red  June,  Wealth}',  Williams  and  other 
varieties  which  ripen  at  the  same  period  need  not  be  mature.  (See  size  require- 
ments.) 

U.  S.  No.  2  shall  consist  of  apples  of  one  Arariety  which  are  mature  but  not 
overripe,  free  from  decay  and  from  serious  damage  'caused  by  dirt  or  other 
foreign  matter,  bruises,  sprayburn,  sunscald,  russeting,  hail,  disease,  insects  or 
mechanical  or  other  means.  (See  size  requirements.) 

Unclassified  shall  consist  of  apples  which  are  not  graded  in  conformity  with 
any  of  the  foregoing  grades. 

Color  Requirements 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  requirements  for  U.  S.  No.  1  and  U.  S.  Fancy, 
each  apple  of  these  grades  must  have  the  percentage  of  color  shown  in  the  list 
below.  "Color"  means  a  good  shade  of  red  characteristic  of  the  variety.  Faded 
brown  stripes  shall  not  be  considered  as  color. 

U.  S.  Fancy,  50  percent;  U.  S.  No.  1,  25  percent:  Arkansas  Black,  De- 
licious, Gano,  Jonathan,  King  David,  Missouri  Pippin,  Winesap,  and  other  sim- 
ilar varieties. 

U.  S.  Fancy,  33  percent;  U.  S.  No.  1,  15  percent:  Arkansas  (Mammoth 
Black  Twig),  Ben  Davis,  Rails  (Geneton),  Rome  Beaut}-,  Stayman  Winesap, 
Wealthy,  Willow  Twig,  York  Imperial,  and  other  similar  varieties. 

U.  S.  Fancy,  25  percent;  U.  S.  No.  1,  10  percent:  Duchess  of  Oldenburg. 
Red  Astrachan,  and  other  similar  varieties. 


lrThese  standards  issued  June  30,  1927,  by  the  Bureau  of  Agricultural  Economics  of  the 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  apply  to  apples  packed  in  containers  other  than  the  standard 
northwestern  apple  box. 


612  BULLETIN  No.  312 

Size  Requirements 

The  minimum  size  of  the  apples  in  any  closed  •container  shall  be  plainly 
stamped,  stenciled,  or  otherwise  marked  on  the  container.  "Minimum  size" 
means  the  transverse  diameter  of  the  smallest  apples  permitted  in  the  container 
taken  at  right  angles  to  a  line  running  from  the  stem  to  the  blossom  end.  Mini- 
mum sizes  shall  be  stated  in  terms  of  whole  and  quarter  inches,  as  2%  inches 
minimum,  2%  inches  minimum,  in  accordance  with  the  facts. 

In  order  to  allow  for  variations  incident  to  proper  sizing,  not  more  than  5 
percent,  by  weight,  of  the  apples  in  any  container  may  be  below  the  specified 
minimum  size.  Where  the  maximum  and  minimum  sizes  are  both  stated,  an 
additional  10  percent  tolerance  is  provided  for  apples  which  are  larger  than  the 
maximum  size  stated. 

Packing  Requirements 

Each  package  shall  be  packed  so  that  the  apples  in  the  shown  face  shall  be 
reasonably  representative  in  size,  color,  and  quality,  of  the  contents  of  the 
package. 

Definitions  of  Terms 

As  used  in  these  grades: 

"Mature"  means  having  reached  the  stage  of  maturity  which  will  insure  the 
proper  completion  of  the  ripening  process. 

"Clean"  means  free  from  excessive  dirt,  dust,  spray  residue  or  other  foreign 
material. 

"Well  formed"  means  that  the  apples  have  the  shape  characteristic  of  the 
variety  in  the  locality  where  grown. 

"Fairly  well  formed"  means  that  the  apples  may  be  slightly  abnormal  in 
shape  but  not  to  an  extent  which  detracts  materially  from  the  appearance  of 
the  fruit. 

"Damage"  means  any  injury  or  defect  which  materially  affects  the  appear- 
an-ce  or  keeping  quality.  Any  one  of  the  following  defects,  or  any  combination 
thereof,  the  seriousness  of  which  exceeds  the  maximum  allowed  for  any  one 
defect  shall  be  considered  as  damage: 

Limbrubs Dark  brown  over  %  inch  in  diameter.  Light  brown 

over  1  inch  in  diameter. 

Sprayburn  or  sunscald Color     materially     changed ;     skin     blistered     or 

cracked. 

Russeting Smooth,  net-like   over  more  than   one-fourth   of 

surface.  Smooth  solid,  over  more  than  one-tenth 
of  surface.  Rough  or  bark-like  area  more  than  \-> 
inch  in  diameter. 

Hail  marks Skin  broken;    or  superficial  marks  exceeding  ^ 

inch  in  the  aggregate. 

Scab Spots  not  corked  over  or  corked  over  spots  affect- 
ing a  total  area  of  more  than  %  inch  in  diameter. 

Insect  stings,  healed More  than  2,  either  of  which  is  over  %  inch  in 

diameter. 

Cedar  rust .Aggregate  area  over  ^4  inch  in  diameter. 

Worm  holes Any. 

Sooty  blotch  or  fly  speck.  .Thinly  scattered  over  more  than  one-tenth  of 
surface  or  dark,  heavily  concentrated  spots  affect- 
ing an  area  more  than  ^  inch  in  diameter. 

"Serious  damage"  means  any  injury  or  defect  which  seriously  affects  the 
appearance  or  keeping  quality. 

(70  #) 


AUTHOR  INDEX 


613 


AUTHOR  INDEX 


PAGE 

Bauer,  F.  C.  Crop  Yields  from 
Illinois  Soil  Experiment  Fields 
in  1926  17-40 

Bauer,  F.  C.  Crop  Yields  from 
Illinois  Soil  Experiment  Fields 
in  1927 341-72 

Bauer,  F.  C.,  DeTurk,  E.  E.,  and 
Smith,  L.  H.  Lessons  from 
the  Morrow  Plots 105-40 

Brunson,  A.  M.,  and  Smith,  L. 
H.  Experiments  in  Crossing 
Varieties  as  a  Means  of  Im- 
proving Productiveness  in 
Corn 373-86 

Burlison,  W.  L.,  Dungan,  George 
H.,  and  Stark,  Robert  W.  Bar- 
ley Varieties  for  Illinois.  . .  .41-52 

Burlison,  W.  L.,  Sears,  O.  H.,  and 
Hackleman,  J.  C.  Soybean 
Production  in  Illinois 465-532 

Buswell,  A.  M.,  Lehmann,  E.  W., 
and  Kelleher,  E.  C.  A  Study 
of  Factors  Affecting  the  Effi- 
ciency and  Design  of  Farm 
Septic  Tanks  297-340 

Case,  H.  C.  M.,  and  Ross,  Robert 
C.  The  Place  of  Hog  Produc- 
tion in  Corn-Belt  Farming.  145-80 

Crandall.  Charles  S.  Native 
Crabs:  Their  Behavior  in 
Breeding 533-60 

Davidson,  F.  A.  Growth  and 
Senescence  in  Purebred  Jersey 
Cows 181-236 

DeTurk,  E.  E.,  Bauer,  F.  C.,  and 
Smith,  L.  H.  Lessons  from 
the  Morrow  Plots 105-40 

Dungan,  George  H.,  Stark,  Robert 
W.,  and  Burlison,  W.  L.  Va- 
rieties of  Barley  for  Illinois. 41-52 

Gaines,  W.  L.  The  Energy  Basis 
of  Measuring  Milk  Yield  in 
Dairy  Cows 401-40 

Hackleman,  ,T.  C.,  Sears,  O.  H., 
and  Burlison,  W.  L.  Soybean 
Production  in  Illinois.  ..  .465-532 


PAGE 

Hamilton,  T.  S.,  Mitchell,  H.  H., 
and  Kammlade,  W.  G.  The  Di- 
gestibility and  Metabolizable 
Energy  of  Soybean  Products 
for  Sheep " 237-96 

Kammlade,  W.  G.,  Hamilton,  T. 
S.,  and  Mitchell,  H.  H.  The 
Digestibility  and  Metabolizable 
Energy  of  Soybean  Products 
for  Sheep ' 237-96 

Kelleher,  R.  C.,  Lehmann,  E.  W., 
and  Buswell,  A.  M.  A  Study 
of  Factors  Affecting  the  Effi- 
ciency and  Design  of  Farm 
Septic  Tanks  297-340 

Lehenbauer,  P.  A.,  and  Weinard, 
F.  F.  The  Effects  of  Phos- 
phorus and  Sulfur  Fertilizers 
on  Flower  Production  of  Roses 
and  Carnations 77-104 

Lehmann,  E.  W.,  Kelleher,  R.  C., 
and  Buswell,  A.  M.  A  Study 
of  Factors  Affecting  the  Effi- 
ciency and  Design  of  Farm 
Septic  Tanks  297-340 

Lloyd,  J.  W.  Bush  Lima  Beans 
as  a  Market  Garden  Crop. 389-400 

Lloyd,  J.  W.,  and  Newell,  H.  M. 
Marketing  Calhoun  County 
Apples 561-612 

Mitchell,  H.  H.,  Hamilton,  T.  S., 
and  Kammlade,  W.  G.  The 
Digestibility  and  Metaboliza- 
ble Energy  of  Soybean  Prod- 
ucts for  Sheep.  .  .'. 237-96 

Newell,  H.  M.,  and  Lloyd,  J.  W. 
Marketing  Calhoun  County 
Apples 561-612 

Rickey,  Lacey  F.  Costs  of  Stor- 
ing Corn  on  the  Farm 1-16 

Ross,  Robert  C.,  and  Case,  H.  C. 
M.  The  Place  of  Hog  Produc- 
tion in  Corn-Belt  Farming.  145-80 

Sayre,  C.  B.  Experiments  in  the 
Culture  and  Forcing  of  Wit- 
loof  Chicorv  .  441-64 


614 


AUTHOR  INDEX 


PAGE 

Savre,  C.  B.  Winter  Forcing  of 
'Rhubarb 53-76 

Sears,  O.  H.,  Hackloman,  J.  C., 
and  Burlison,  W.  L.  Soybean 
Production  in  Illinois.  ..  .465-532 

Smith,  L.  H.,  Bauer,  F.  C.,  and 
DeTurk,  E.  E.  Lessons  from 
the  Morrow  Plots 105-40 

Smith,  L.  H.,  and  Brunson,  A.  M. 
Experiments  in  Crossing  Va- 


PAGE 

rieties  as  a  Means  of  Improv- 
ing Productiveness  in  Corn. 373-86 

Stark.  Robert  W.,  Dnngan,  George 
H.,  and  Burlison,  W.  L.  Bar- 
ley Varieties  for  Illinois. . .  .41-oLJ 

Weinard,  F.  F.,  and  Leheubauer, 
P.  A.  The  Effects  of  Phos- 
phorus and  Sulfur  Fertilizers 
on  Flower  Production  of  Roses 
and  Carnations  .  ..77-104 


INDEX 


INDEX 


(The  headings  in  capitals  are  subjects  of  entire  bulletins') 


PAGE 
Acid  phosphate  experiments  with 

roses   and   carnations 81-104 

Comparison   of  phosphate  with 

bone  meal   86-0.°, 

Aledo  experiment  field  yields .... 

!20-21,  345-40 

Antioch  experiment  field  yields . . 

'.  ...21,    346 

Apple  production,  statistics  on. 563-64 
Apples,  Calhoun  county,  grading 

and  packing  of , 564-71 

Methods  of   sale  of 595-90 

Packages  used   for 571-7.", 

Recommendations    for    produc- 
tion of  . . .- 605-10 

Shipments  of  in   1927 592 

Storage  facilities  for 593-95 

Storing  of  for  later  sale 599 

Transportation  of,  by  rail.. 584— 90 

freight  rates  of 589 

by  river  574—84 

damage  from  rolling  barrels 

583-84 

freight  rates  of 584 

losses   from   delays   in.... 579-83 

time  required   for 576-77 

warehouses  at  landings. . .577-79 

by  truck    591-92 

within  county 573-74 

Apples,  official  standards  for  in- 
spection of   611-12 

Self-pollinations  of 560 

Study  of  prices  of 600-605 

Barley,   acre   value   of   compared 

with  other  crops   43 

As  nurse  crop 43 

Diseases  of   50-51 

Distribution  of  in  Illinois 44 

Feeding   value   of 43 

Seed  bed   for 50 

Sowing  dates  for 50 

Uses  of   43-45 

Varieties    of,    description    and 

origin  of   52 

Variety   studies    of    in    central 

Illinois 47-49 

in  northern  Illinois 45-47 

Bnrlev  and  oats  mixture.  .  49 


PAGE 


Beans,  see  Lima  beans,  bush 

Bloomington    experiment    field 

yields 21,  346 

Bone  meal  for  lima  beans 

393,   395,  397-9S 

Breeding  experiments  with  corn . 

373-86 

With   crabapples    533-60 

Calhoun  county,  map  of 585  • 

Possibility  of  railroad  in 590 

See  also  Apples,  Calhoun  county 

Carlinville  experiment  field  yields 
; ."..22,  347 

Carnations,  effect  of  phosphorus 
and  sulfur  on  production  of . . 

78,  93-100 

On  split  calyces 78,  98 

Carthage  experiment  field  yields. 
22-23,  347-4S 

CHICORY,  WITLOOF,  EXPER- 
IMENTS IX  CULTURE  AND 

FORCING  OF    441-62 

Best  planting  time 449-50 

Conditions  of  experiment ...  447-49 

Effect  of  freezing 451 

of  rest  period 450-51,  452-5.°. 

Forcing  in  field 459-60 

Forcing  in  storage,  covering  ma- 
terial   460-61 

method  of 447-49 

second 458-59 

size  of  roots  for 455-58 

temperature  for. 451,  454-55,  456 
Objects  of  experiments 447 

Chicory,  Witloof ,  methods  of  forc- 
ing '. 446-47 

Varieties  of  for  forcing. . .  .443—45 
See  also  Chicory  experiments 

Clayton  experiment  field  yields. 23,  348 

Clover,  value  of  in  rotation. .  .114-15 

Corn,  continuous  cropping  of.  ... 

111-13,  120 

Effect    of    soil    treatment    and 
rotation   on  maturity  of.. 120-22 

CORN,  EXPERIMENTS  IN 
CROSSING  VARIETIES  AS 
A  MEANS  OF  IMPROVING 
PRODUCTIVENESS  IN.  .  .373-86 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Crosses  made   376-85 

closely  selected  strains. ..  .383-84 

common  dent  varieties 382 

Eeid  yellow  dent  with  closely 

selected  strains 384-85 

Summary  of  results.  .374,  385-86 

Sweet  and  pop  with  dent.  .382-83 

Corn,  grown  with  soybeans. . .  .493—07 

Storage  on  farm 3-16 

crib,   interest,  and   insurance 

charges 3-4 

damage   during    14 

method  of  figuring  costs  of  .11-14 
shrinkage  and  change  in  grade 

during 5-11 

summary  of  costs 15 

Terminal  storage  of 4 

Corncribs,  construction  require- 
ments of  14 

Corn-hog  ratio   177-78 

Cost  of  producing  hogs 

146,  148-58,  166-60 

Cost  of  production  on  Morrow 

plots 131-36 

COSTS  OF  STORING  CORN  ON 

THE   FARM    1-16 

COWS,  GROWTH  AND  SENES- 
CENCE IN  PUREBRED  JER- 
SEY   181-235 

Analysis  of  data 185-225 

Appe'ndix 231-35 

Introduction 183-85 

Literature  cited 220-30 

Source  of  data 185 

Summary 226-28 

Cows,  see  also  Dairy  cows 
CROP     YIELDS    FROM    ILLI- 
NOIS   SOIL    EXPERIMENT 

FIELDS  IN  1026 17-40 

CROP  YIELDS  FROM  ILLI- 
NOIS SOIL  EXPERIMENT 

FIELDS  IN  1027 341-69 

Crab  apples,  results  in  breeding  of 

.535-60 

Mains  angustifolia   538-41 

Mains  cororuiria 536-38 

Mahis  dawsoniana   554—55 

Mains  fusca    552-54 

Maltts  ioensis   541-47 

Mains  soiilardi   547-52 

Mercer   county  crab 550-52 

Self-pollinations  of 555 

Separation  of  from  pear  genus  536 

Species  of  recognized 535-36 

DAIRY  COWS,  ENERGY  BASIS 
OF  MEASURING  MIL^K 

YIELD  IN 401-38 

Estimation  of  energy  value.  .404-15 


PAGE 

Fat    percentage    and    feed    re- 
quirements   415-10 

and  yield  of  milk 410-28 

Illustrative   applications    ...420-32 

Introduction 403-404 

Literature  cited   436-38 

Significance  of  fat  percentage. 

432-34 

Summary  and  conclusions. .  .434— 35 

Dairy  cows,  soybeans  for 471-72 

Davenport  plot  yields 30,  368 

Dixon  experiment  field  yields .... 
.'23-24,   348-40 

Elizabethtown  experiment  field 

yields 25,  350 

Emmer,  yields  of 51-52 

Endive,  French,  see  Chicory 

Enfield  experiment  field  yields . .  . 
."..25,  350-51 

Ewing  experiment  field  yields 

'...26,   351-52 

Farm    management,   hog   produc- 
tion  in  successful 160-70 

Fertilization,    effect    of    on    crop 

maturity 120-22 

On  soil  content 122-30 

On  yields 111-22,  138-30 

Fertilizing  experiments  with  lima 
beans 305-08 

Grain,     plant     for     drying     and 
shrinkage  tests  of 16 

Greenhouse  soils,  supplements  for 
78-104 

Gypsum    experiments    with    roses 
and  carnations 78,  03,  06-09 

Hartsburg  experiment  field  yields 
26,  27,  353 

Hog  production,  adjusting  sales  in 

to  markets ' 146,  160-70 

Costs  of 146,  148-58 

Factors  influencing  success  of. 

146,  150-60 

Labor  requirements  of 161-62 

Maintenance  of  soil  thru ....  163-64 
Value  of  skilful  management  in 
166-69 

Hogging  down,  advantages  of...   163 

Hogs,  feed  consumed  by 

159-61,   171-72 

Finishing  of  for  better  markets 

164-66 

Harvesting   of  crops   by 163 

Returns    from   light   and   from 

heavy 170-71,  172-76,  178-79 

Seasonal  variations  in  price  of 
176-78 

Horses,  soybeans  for 471 

Inoculants,   commercial    482 


INDEX 


617 


PAGE 

Inoculation  experiments  with  lima 
beans 394-96 

Irrigation  experiments  with  lima 
beans 393-96 

Joliet  experiment  field  yields 

"...26,  28,  354 

Kewaiiee  experiment  field  yields.  . 
.' 28,   355 

Labor,  distribution  of  thru  year. .   134 

LaMoille  experiment  field  yields. 
'....29,  355 

Land  values  as  affected  by  treat- 
ment and  rotation 136 

Lebanon  experiment  field  yields. 
29-30,  356-57 

Lima  beans,    preparation    of    for 
market 398-99 

Lima    beans,    bush,    experiments 

with 392-9S 

Fertilizer  experiments  with . .  395-98 
Inoculation    experiments   with . 

394-96 

Irrigation  experiments  with. 393-96 

Plan  of  experiments 392-93 

Summary  of  experiments 390 

Variety  tests  of 392-98 

Limestone,  effect  of  on  soil  acid- 
ity    130 

McNabb  experiment  field  yields. 
.'...30,  357 

Mains  varieties,  see  Crab  apples 

Manure,  effect  of  on  yields. .  .111-20 

MARKETING  CALHOUN 

COUNTY  APPLES 561-612 

Mercer   county   crabs 550-52 

Metabolism   experiment    237-95 

Milk  yield,  energy  basis  of  meas- 
uring   * 403-38 

Minonk  experiment  field  yields .  30,  356 

Morrow  plots,  annual  acre  yields 

of 112-13,  138-39 

Economic  lessons  from 131—36 

Effect  of  rotation  and  fertiliza- 
tion on 111-22,  137-39 

History  and  management  of.  . 

'. 106-11,   140 

Summary  of  results  on 137 

Yields  of  1926  and  1927  on. 39,  368 

Mt.  Morris  experiment  field  yields 
30-31.   357-58 

Newton  experiment  field  yields . . 
'.31,   358-59 

Nitrate  of  soda  for  lima  beans. . 
393,  395,396 

Oblong  experiment  field  yields .  32,  360 

Odin  experiment  field  yields. .  .33,  361 

Oquawka  experiment  field  yields. 
.'...33,  361 


PAGE 

Palestine  experiment  field  yields. 

"...34,  362 

Phosphate  fertilizers,  comparison 

of 86-93 

PHOSPHORUS  AND  SULFUR 
FERTILIZERS,  EFFECTS  OF 
ON  FLOWER  PRODUCTION 
OF  ROSES  AND  CARNA- 
TIONS   77-104 

Appendix 101-104 

Conclusions    and    recommenda- 
tions     100 

Experiments     with     carnations, 
effect  of  acid  phosphate.  .93-100 
later   phosphorus   and   sulfur 

experiments 96-99 

Experiments  with  roses,   effect 

of  acid  phosphate 78,  81-85 

of  acid  phosphate  vs.  bone 
meal  and  precipitated  phos- 
phate   78,  86-93 

of   gypsum    93 

Literature  cited   100 

Previous   investigations    80-81 

Summary 78 

Raleigh  experiment  field  yields .  35,  363 
RHUBARB,     WINTER     FORC- 
ING OF    53-76 

Commercial   practices   in 55-58 

Experimental  work  in 59-76 

effect  on  yield  and  quality  of 

age  .  ." '...66-73 

of  freezing  and  rest  period 

73-75 

of  temperature 59-63 

of  watering 63-66 

summary  and  conclusions.  .54,  76 

Storing  in  home  cellars 58 

Roses,    effect    of    acid    phosphate 

on  production  of 78,  81-85,  100 

Compared  with  steamed  bone 
meal  and  precipitated  phos- 
phate   78,  86-93 

Effect  of  gypsum  on  production     93 
Rotation,  crop,  effect  of  on  crop 

maturity 120-22 

On  soil* 122-30 

On  yields 111-22 

Rye,  yields  of 51-52 

SEPTIC  TANKS,  FACTORS  AF- 
FECTING EFFICIENCY  AND 

DESIGN  OF   297-339 

Comparison  of  2-chamber  tanks 
with  different  cross-sections. 

321-32,  338-39 

Single  vs.  multiple-chamber... 
301-21,  330,  336-37 


018 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Sewage  flow  in  farm  homes.  .301-303 
SHEEP,  DIGESTIBILITY  AND 
METABOLIZABLE   ENERGY 
OF     SOYBEAN     PRODUCTS 

FOR 237-95 

Appendix 283-95 

Discussion  of  results .263-80 

digestibility  of  soybean  prod- 
ucts .  .   .' ." 266-68 

metabolizable  energy  of.  .276-80 
significance  of  indirectly  cal- 
culated   coefficients    of   di- 
gestibility   271-76 

of  refused  feed 268-71 

Investigation  of  1923 244-55 

of  1925    255-63 

Literature  cited   281-82 

Previous  experiments    239-43 

Summary  and  conclusions. .  .280-81 

Sheep,  soybeans  for 471 

Sidell  experiment  field  yields.  .34,  264 
Soil  acidity,  effect  of  limestone  on  130 
Soil  experiment  fields,  crop  yields 

on,   1926 ' 19-40 

1927 341-69 

Purpose  and  location  of 

18-19,  342-43 

Soil  treatment,  effect  of  on  crop 

maturity 120-22 

On  crop  yields 111-22,  138-39 

On  soil  content   122-30 

Soybeans,    acreage   and    distribu- 
tion of  in  Illinois 467-69 

Adaptability  to  various  soils. 473-75 

As  substitute  for  oats 472 

Average  prices  for 473 

Compared  with  cowpeas  on  poor 

soil 473,  474 

Cultivation   of    485-88 

Digestion  experiments  with,  see  ». 
Sheep  fff£ 


PAGE 

Grown  with  corn 493-97 

Handling  and  storing  of 493 

Harvesting  of  for  hay 489 

for  seed ' 489-90 

History  of  production  of  in  Illi- 
nois     530 

Improvement  of  soil  by 475-76 

Inoculation   of    479-82 

Place  of  in  crop  rotation. .  .476-78 

Seed  bed  for 478-79 

Seeding  of    482-85 

Threshing  of 490-93 

Uses  of    526-30 

as  cake 527-28 

as  oil    528 

as  human  food 528-30 

Value  of  as  nitrogenous  feed .  . 

469-71 

Variety  study  of 498-520 

description  of  varieties. .  .516-26 
differences  in  varieties. .  .  .514—16 

in  central  Illinois 502-13 

in  northern  Illinois 499-502 

Yields  of  compared  with  corn. .   472 
Sparta  experiment  field  yields.  . .  . 

.' . . .  36,  364-65 

Spring    Valley    experiment    field 

yields    ' 36-37,   365 

Steamed  bone  vs.  acid  phosphate 

for  roses  and  carnations. 78,  86-104 
Sulfur,  experiments  with  on  roses 
and  carnations.  ..78,  89-93,  96-100 

Swine,  soybeans  for 471 

Toledo  experiment  field  yields. 38,  366 
Unionville  experiment  field  yields 

37,  39,  367-68 

Urbana  experimental  plots .  . .  39,  368 
Water  consumption  in  farm  homes  303 
West  Salem  experiment  field  yields 

, '.  .40,  369 


OF 


T-ic 


••-.3 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


